Makers of Soy-based Toner and Biopesticide Honored

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Conventional toner adheres to paper tightly in the printing process, making it hard to remove during the de-inking process. That, in turn, makes paper recycling more difficult. Adding to its environmental footprint, traditional toner is made from petroleum-derived resins.

Batelle, based in Columbus, Ohio, teamed with the Ohio Soybean Council and Advanced Image Resources to develop and commercialize a soy-based toner that works as well as its conventional counterpart and is easier to remove, which has the potential to save energy and allow for the recycling of more paper fiber.

The company won a 2008 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for its efforts Tuesday, joining four other companies for their work in developing less-hazardous alternatives to existing chemicals.

Nalco Co. of Naperville, Ill., won a Greener Reaction Conditions Award for its 3D TRASAR technology, which monitors water-based cooling systems for commercial buildings. The technology studies water condition and adds chemicals if needed, rather than automatically on a fixed schedule.

The EPA recognized SIGNa Chemistry Inc. in the small business category for its work in creating a way to stabilize flammable and explosive alkali metals, such as sodium and lithium, while maintaining their usefulness. The technology can also be applied in the clean-tech, pharmaceutical, petrochemical and general synthesis industries.

Dow AgroSciences won the 2008 Designing Greener Chemicals Award for its biopesticide to treat fruit-tree pests. The 2008 Academic Award was given to two professors from Michigan State University. Robert Maleczka, Jr., and Milton Smith III developed a new, more environmentally friendly catalytic method of making chemical compounds that are used in complex substances, such as pharmaceuticals and pesticides.