Soybean-based Firefighting Foam Could be an Option for California

A new invention in the Midwest could be a big hit in the dry, drought-stricken wildfire capital, our lovely state of California. Cross Plains Solutions made a soybean-based firefighting foam that could replace existing products made with harmful forever chemicals.

Pat Mullooly, President of Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board, explains a bit of the science behind the product.

“…it's very safe to the environment, safe to the users. And we were able to talk to the chemist as well and he said, I knew I could get soy to foam up. It's just a matter of getting the right formulation for those firefighters. They can get 3 percent of that solution coming out of the end of their hose is the soy foam and it foams up and it kind of coats and smothers that fire out.”

This product could open up some possibilities in the market, on one hand it’s a new byproduct avenue for soybean farmers, and on the other, it’s a biodegradable option that could replace harmful foams.

“We all know somebody that's had a fire or somebody that firefighter in your family, and they're all exposed to this. So it really touches all walks of life and it, it really could be a, a, a big deal and a, a very good product for the environment, for the safety of those firefighters.

Information on the soybean foam and an AFFF fact sheet can be found on our website at aginfo.net.

Soybean Foam:

https://crossplainssolutions.com

AFFF Fact Sheet:

https://www.maine.gov/mema/sites/maine.gov.mema/files/inline-files/ITRC%20AFFF%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf