2021
Novel Soy Protein and Ionic Liquid based Coating Materials for Corrosion Protection
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Contributor/Checkoff:
North Dakota Soybean Council
Category:
Industrial
Keywords:
CoatingsSoy protein
Parent Project:
This is the first year of this project.
Lead Principal Investigator:
Ravi Kiran Yellavajjala, North Dakota State University
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
QSSB
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
North Dakota Soybean Council
$30,430
Institution Funded:
North Dakota State University
$30,430
Brief Project Summary:

The transportation infrastructure, especially reinforced concrete pavements and bridge decks are severely affected by corrosion. The corrosion of steel rebars severely deteriorate their functionality and require frequent maintenance or replacement. To address the corrosion issue, this project aims at developing a novel, soy protein, ionic, liquid-based coating material for steel rebars to significantly reduce maintenance costs by mitigating corrosion in embedded rebars. To achieve the objectives, ionic liquid soy protein-based coatings will be synthesized and corrosion mitigation performance will be evaluated. The low cost, non-toxic, soy protein-based coating material has the potential to curtail the cost of corrosion-related repair and maintenance in transportation infrastructure.

Key Benefactors:
farmers, engineers

Information And Results
Project Deliverables

1) Procedure for the synthesis of Soy-protein ionic liquid based coating
2) Characterization of the corrosion inhibition potential of Soy-protein ionic liquid based coatings for embedded steel rebars.
3) Semi-annual and annual final report for communicating the progress of the project.

Final Project Results

Update:

View uploaded report PDF file

Executive Summary
Project: Ionic Liquid Soy-protein based Coating for Protection against Chloride-ion Attack

Research conducted
Corrosion is a major form of deterioration that affects the service life and functionality of reinforced concrete structures such as bridge decks and reinforced concrete pavements (RCPs). In this study, a new low-cost and non-toxic protective coating material is synthesized from soy protein isolate (protein-rich component of soybean) for mitigating corrosion in RCP and bridge decks. The corrosion protection performance of the soy-derived coating material was evaluated through laboratory experiments. This soy-derived coating material can be applied on concrete rebars in the field. It can also be applied on cracked reinforced concrete surfaces to restrict further corrosion.

Why the research is important to ND soybean farmers
The global market for corrosion protection products (corrosion inhibitors) was estimated to be $7.2 billion in 2018 and it is projected to reach $9.2 billion in 2026. The soy-derived coating developed in this study has the potential to take advantage of this growth to financially benefit the ND soybean farming community. Even if only 1% of soybean products by weight is used for making the envisaged coating material, this will generate new demand for at least 1 million metric tons of soybeans which roughly translates into $300-350 million of additional revenue to the ND soybean farming community.

Final findings of the research
The results obtained from the laboratory investigations showed that soy-derived coatings are effective in protecting reinforcing bars from corrosion. The corrosion protection performance of the soy-derived coatings was validated through short-term and long-term laboratory tests. It was observed that the application of soy protein coatings can reduce the corrosion in reinforcing bars by up to 90% when compared to the reinforcing bars with no coating. The soy-derived coating materials are observed to have adequate adhesion for application on the steel surface. It was also observed that the soy-derived coatings have adequate strength and can be conveniently handled and transported to the field.

Benefits/Recommendations to North Dakota soybean farmers and industry
The soy protein coatings developed in this study can significantly expand the utilization of soybean products in a new industry (corrosion protection) and hence can increase the profitability of soybean production. Moreover, this work will also attract the attention of the industry to develop more value-added products from soybean.

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.