Soybeans Are Extending the Life of Ohio Roadways
Soybeans have many uses, from animal feed and
human consumption to soy-based products like foams
and toners. But what many Ohioans may not realize is
that, thanks to soybean farmers and their checkoff, soy-
beans are also being used to treat the roads they drive
on every day.
Ohio Pavement Systems, Inc. (OPS), a pavement
maintenance contractor based in central Ohio, special-
izes in a variety of asphalt and concrete repair solu-
tions. With the cost of asphalt steadily rising, it is now
more important than ever to consider alternatives to
asphalt and concrete maintenance. RePlay, a soy-based
asphalt preservation agent created in part by the soy-
bean checkoff, is that alternative and has become one
of OPS’s most popular products.
Manufactured by BioSpan Technologies, Inc.,
RePlay reduces the need to repair or patch roads by
reversing the oxidation and moisture penetration,
which are the major sources of road deterioration and
pothole formation. RePlay will extend the life of treat-
ed road surfaces by twice their normal life span at a
fraction of the cost of conventional road maintenance,
saving money in the long-term.
“When we first heard of RePlay, we decided to do
some testing of our own,” said Joe Kindler, owner of
OPS. “We found it to be a great product that is envi-
ronmentally safe, easy to apply, and the most cost
effective product for asphalt road preservation.
Additionally, many of our customers are townships
and agricultural communities, and since it was our
soybean farmers who helped develop the product
By extending the life of asphalt by twice its normal life span at a fraction of the cost of conventional road maintenance, RePlay will save communities’
money in the long-term.
through their checkoff, we saw it as the perfect fit.” taining normal skid resistance. It doesn’t leave track
OPS first started to market RePlay in Ohio 5 years marks or splash onto vehicles, and it helps repair
ago, eventually moving all of their customers over to small cracks by resealing them once traffic begins on
the product. Since that time, they have had a lot of treated roads. But one of the most important advan-
positive feedback from their customers. tages that it offers is that it is a domestic and will
“At first, I was hesitant about spending additional not harm the environment.
dollars on a street that had just been resurfaced,” said “Similar petroleum-based products can take hours,
Sean Chapman, Village Administrator in Spencerville, or even days to cure. If it rains before it has cured, it
Ohio. “I can say that the street is holding up great and can create environmental damage due to runoff into
is showing very little signs of cracking or other deterio- storm drains,” said Kindler. “In addition to RePlay
ration. Due to the results noticed on this street, we being over 80% biobased with 30% of that being
have decided to apply RePlay to every street paved in derived from soybean oil, it also has a curing window
the Village.” of about an hour, reducing the chance of a rain runoff
RePlay reduces the need to repair or patch roads, and its shorter curing
RePlay cures in 15-20 minutes, reducing the and damaging the environment.”
time reduces the length of time roads are closed to traffic after application. length of time roads are closed to traffic while main- Visit www.replayohio.net for more information.
Ohio Soybean Council Awards
The Ohio Soybean Council (OSC) has developed a Ohio Soybean Council R&d 100 Awards
strong partnership with Battelle over the years to
research and develop new soy-based products that can
2002: soy-based plasticizer
be commercialized and create a new market for Ohio
2003: soy-based toner
soybeans. This partnership has yielded soy-based tech-
2007: soy-based polyols
nologies that have received national
and international recognition, includ-
2008: soy-based powder coating
ing four R&D 100 awards. R&D 100
Award recipients are determined by
Additionally, the soy-based toner
an independent judging panel and
also won a Presidential Green
editors of R&D Magazine, and only
Chemistry Award from the
the top 100 innovations of the year
Environmental Protection Agency
receive this honor.
in 2008.
Ohio’s Country Journal • March 2009 •News 11
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