Oregon State University professor Kaichang Li is no stranger to “green” chemistry and pioneering eco-innovations geared to reduce waste and toxins in manufacturing processes.
Not that long ago, a natural resin made from soy flour--and developed in Li’s OSU laboratory--was put into commercial use where it replaces formaldehyde-based adhesives in the manufacture of some wood products.
More recently, Li, working with faculty research assistant Jian Huang, shifted his focus to metal and, with some help from a faulty lab oven, devised a low-cost, renewable, environmentally benign binder system for metal casters based on a compound so common you find it on kitchen tables across the country. For a closer look at Professor Li’s latest eco-innovation, see full story here.