For sale at your hardware store

New soy-based resin replaces harmful chemicals in decorative plywood

Soybean farmers can be proud their product goes to a lot of great uses—not only in animal feed or for human consumption, but for a variety of industrial applications available at your local hardware store. PureBond™ is an example.

The EPA-award-winning, soy-based resin technology used to produce decorative hardwood plywood is now available in more than 2,000 retail stores in the U.S. and Canada. Cabinetry and furniture made with PureBond plywood reduces homeowners’ exposure to formaldehyde, a chemical that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified as a known carcinogen. PureBond’s manufacturer, Columbia Forest Products, brought it to market thanks to checkoff-funded research at Oregon State University. Todd Vogelsinger with Columbia Forest Products recently spoke about the new product and how it came about.

What is PureBond?

PureBond is a soy-based technology we use to produce interior hardwood plywood, which is the building block of things like cabinetry, furniture, other wooden fixtures and wall paneling.

Why did Columbia Forest Products look to soy as an ingredient in PureBond?

Soy has superior technical ability, such as adhesion, and it is a renewable resource. Those were the two main reasons we went with soy protein when we were looking for replacements to traditional formaldehyde-based resin systems for our production mills. Our search for such a replacement was largely driven by the demand of the architectural community for new materials that meet Leadership in Energy and Design (LEED) standards, which specifically name formaldehyde as a component to avoid. By using soy flour, we were able to meet both of those needs.

In 1987, the EPA classified formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen, and it was later classified as a “known carcinogen” by the IARC. What happened next?

In 2007, California became the first state to pass laws to reduce the allowable emissions of formaldehyde from composite wood products like particleboard, medium-density fiberboard and plywood, in an effort to protect the health of indoor air. In the summer of 2010, President (Barack) Obama signed a law which “federalized” the California regulation. The EPA is now working through the details of this regulation.

Why should farmers care about PureBond?

Farmers should feel great that they’re helping supply a more sustainable alternative to something that’s has been labeled cancer-causing. All farmers live in homes with cabinets and other wood fixtures that require adhesives. Having a formaldehyde-free building products, like PureBond, is an easy and affordable way to reduce exposure to in-home air toxins. That’s something farmers and everyone else can appreciate!

How did the soy technology used in PureBond come to fruition?

A researcher at Oregon State University developed the technology with the help of grants from the United Soybean Board and soybean checkoff. Columbia Forest Products recognized the potential of the technology and partnered with OSU to get it to market.

Where can people interested in using PureBond in home construction find it?

It’s available in Home Depot and over 2,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada. If you’re not a do-it-yourselfer, a list of cabinet manufacturers that use PureBond can be found on the PureBond Fabricator Network section of www.ColumbiaForestProducts.com.