Purdue-affiliated startup earns USDA certified biobased product label for technology used to protect concrete

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., and INDIANAPOLIS – Environmental Concrete Products, a startup based on a Purdue University innovation, recently announced that it has earned the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Certified Biobased Product label on a technology that can be used to protect and prolong the life of new and existing concrete used on roads and other infrastructure.

The product, Fluid iSoylator™, is now able to display a unique USDA label that highlights its percentage of biobased content.

“Hardened concrete sustains damage when fluids on the surface are absorbed into its network of pores, similar to those in a sponge,” said Paul Imbrock, founder and president of Environmental Concrete Products LLC. “The technology we’ve licensed is a hydrophobic sealant that could prevent potentially damaging fluid from entering concrete pores. Fluid iSoylator is derived from soybean oil and is safe to handle and apply. Its physical properties also make it possible to be adapted for other potential uses, including a combination paint-and-sealing product.”

Third-party verification for a product's biobased content is administered through the USDA BioPreferred Program, an initiative created by the 2002 Farm Bill (and most recently expanded by the 2014 Farm Bill). One of the goals of the BioPreferred Program is to increase the development, purchase and use of biobased products.

“'The USDA BioPreferred certification validates Fluid iSoylator as a safe, sustainable alternative for protecting concrete infrastructure,” Imbrock said. “This achievement also confirms the commitment of Environmental Concrete Products to preserve infrastructure while promoting agriculture.”

The USDA Certified Biobased Product label displays a product's biobased content, which is the portion of a product that comes from a renewable source, such as plant, animal, marine or forestry feedstocks. Using renewable, biobased materials displaces the need for nonrenewable petroleum-based chemicals. Biobased products, through petroleum displacement, have played an increasingly important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate global climate change.

Biobased products are cost-comparative and readily available and perform as well as or better than their conventional counterparts.

"We applaud Environmental Concrete Products for earning the USDA Certified Biobased Product label," said Kate Lewis of the USDA BioPreferred Program. "Products from Environmental Concrete Products are contributing to an ever-expanding marketplace that adds value to renewable agriculture commodities, creates jobs in rural communities and decreases our reliance on petroleum."

The technology was licensed to Environmental Concrete Products through the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization. A video about Environmental Concrete Products is available at https://youtu.be/qx2GFde0fAk.

According to a USDA report released in 2015, biobased products contributed $369 billion to the U.S. economy in 2013 and support, directly and indirectly, 4 million jobs. The same report found that biobased products also displace approximately 300 million gallons of petroleum per year in the nation, which is the equivalent of taking 200,000 cars off the road. The increased production of renewable chemicals and biobased products contributes to the development and expansion of the U.S. bioeconomy - where society looks to agriculture for sustainable sources of fuel, energy, chemicals, and materials.

About Environmental Concrete Products

Environmental Concrete Products licenses Purdue technology and was included in the Purdue Startup Class of 2015. ECP's primary product is a soy-based concrete sealant which has been used throughout the United States on concrete of all types. The product is now offered on The Home Depot's website and can be shipped for free throughout the U.S. As ECP continues to grow, Fluid iSoylator has also been approved for use by state transportation departments. More information can be found at www.EnvironmentalConcreteProducts.com.

About Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization

The Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology-transfer programs among leading research universities in the United States. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university's academic activities. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2014 Incubator Network of the Year from the National Business Incubation Association for its work in entrepreneurship. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org. For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Office of Technology Commercialization at innovation@prf.org.

About the USDA BioPreferred Program and Certified Biobased Product label

The BioPreferred Program is a USDA-led initiative that assists the development and expansion of markets for biobased products. The BioPreferred Program is transforming the marketplace for biobased products through two initiatives: mandatory purchasing requirements for Federal Agencies and Federal contractors and voluntary product certification and labeling.

Biobased products span a diverse range of applications, such as lubricants, cleaning products,

chemicals and bioplastics. The USDA Certified Biobased Product label communicates a product's biobased content. Expressed as a percentage, biobased content is the ratio of nonfossil organic carbon (new organic carbon) to total organic carbon in a product. New organic carbon is derived from recently created materials. The total organic carbon in a product consists of new organic carbon and old organic carbon that originates from fossil carbon materials, such as petroleum, coal, or natural gas. Approximately 2,800 products have earned the USDA Certified Biobased Product label as of August 2016. To learn more about the USDA Certified Biobased Product label, visit www.biopreferred.gov, and follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BioPreferred.

Purdue Research Foundation contact: Hillary Henry, 765-588-3586, hkhenry@prf.org

USDA BioPreferred Program contact: Vernell Thompson, 202-720-4145, Vernell.Thompson@dm.usda.gov