Who said American ingenuity has been quashed under eight years of the Bush regime? Not The Hound. Especially after learning about a new line of urinals made of about 30 percent soybean resin. If one was living in Florida, the expectation of a soybean urinal wouldn't be too exciting.
But this is Illinois, where despite the city slicker superiority of Chicagoans, soybeans and corn pay a lot bills, whether from tractor assemblies in the Quad Cities and Peoria, grain bins in Gilman or the commodities pits in the Windy City. Which is why this breakthrough is exciting.
Yet, it took a Vista, Calif., firm to figure out how to use soybean resin in urinals (perhaps our governor vetoed some agricultural research and development funds in a continuing attempt to balance the Illinois budget?). The Waterless Co. expects to expand the percentage of soybean resin in their future product line.
According to the company, waterless urinals made with soybean resin can save as much as 40,000 gallons of water annually. Bet those folks talking about water resource management Wednesday at Brae Loch Golf Club in Grayslake didn't take waterless urinals into account.
While soybeans have been used for everything from ink to fuel (i.e., biodiesel), using this cash crop for urinals is truly a breakthrough. And, one more way for Illinois farmers to be on the cutting edge of high performance, even if it is in the water closet.
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