(NC) Soyfoods are well known as a healthy eating choice, but soybeans also increasingly have new industrial uses that are making them a good choice for the environment too.

A multi-purpose lubricant called Smart Earth EcoLube was developed in Canada by Linneaus Plant Science Inc. as a green substitute for popular conventional lubricant and penetrant products. Its vegetable oil based ingredients make it an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional petroleum-based products.

Manufactured in Toronto, the product is made using high oleic soybean oil, processed from Ontario-grown soybeans. These are special soybean bean varieties that have been developed to have high oleic levels, making the oil more suitable for industrial use applications like lubricants.

Other green products using high oleic soybean oil as a base oil include grease, bar and chain oil, two-stroke engine oil, and lubricants for use in outdoor, marine and food processing environments.

Their non-toxic and biodegradable formulas are gentle on the environment, making them ideal for use in environmentally sensitive areas like conservation areas, trails, public lands, parks and golf courses. They also offer performance advantages over comparable petroleum-based products, including greater lubricity, high viscosity index, and lower evaporation loss, which can improve energy efficiency and reduce wear.

For example, the University of Guelph has been using biolubricants successfully for the last five years in its passenger vehicles, grounds maintenance equipment, chainsaws, and hydraulics on its heavy machinery.

And volunteers who maintain the Bruce Trail — a popular hiking trail that runs the length of Ontario's Niagara Escarpment and a designated UNESCO World Biosphere reserve — have successfully tested soy-based lubricants in their chainsaws during the 2015 trail cutting season. They reported odour reduction, a decrease in chainsaw smoke production, significantly less respiratory irritation and no cutting or saw performance issues.

A new soybean variety developed at the University of Guelph that is high in linoleic fatty acids is currently being tested as a possible green alternative ingredient in industrial material applications like paints, coatings, polyols and epoxies.

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