New Soy-based Product Protects U.S. Roadways

Oct 02, 2020

A new soy-based concrete sealant is protecting roadways in the U.S. — supporting demand for soybeans and reducing maintenance costs for U.S. infrastructure.

The United Soybean Board has partnered with the Indiana Soybean Alliance on research and market development efforts for soy-based solutions in infrastructure for decades. Now, USB and ISA are proud to announce that select Indiana counties have the opportunity to use a new soy-based sealant, PoreShield, on their bridges — made possible through farmers’ checkoff investments. PoreShield is being applied to 77 bridge decks totaling 330,000 square feet within Indiana this year, with aims to expand use in the future. As PoreShield is adopted as a solution, demand for soybeans grows. On average, PoreShield utilizes 200 bushels of soybeans per mile of two-lane bridge treatment. That’s equivalent to 7.5 acres of soybeans for each mile demanded by this market.

“As a renewable alternative, using U.S.-grown soybean oil as a concrete durability enhancer is among one of 1,000 soy-based products currently on the market,” said John Jansen, USB vice president of oil strategy. “It unlocks yet another use that drives demand for our soybeans, and with PoreShield, there’s enormous potential for roads and bridges that need these critical enhancements.”

Water is the enemy of highway structures. Water moves everything on a highway, such as de-icers, salt and chemicals, into concrete pores, where they cause cracks, chips, gouges and potholes. Once the network of concrete pores is compromised, the strength of the concrete crumbles.

In 2008, the Indiana Department of Transportation came to Purdue University seeking a durable and sustainable solution to the costly problem of protecting highway structures. They partnered with USB and ISA and began researching soy methyl ester as an environmentally friendly, longer-lasting alternative. PoreShield is the result of this research and an innovative way to enhance the durability of concrete and provide more than 10 years of protection. This product is the only effective solution to preserving concrete surfaces, old or new. PoreShield increases service life of concrete by 5 times, is safer and easier for applicators (no required personal protective equipment) and reduces costs.

The applicators have already voiced their strong support for the product, noting the ease and speed of application. Application crews also appreciate not having to take as many precautions when working with the product due to its natural components. With the bridges being completed in one day, labor costs were half of what was budgeted for the project.

“I’m a concrete finisher by trade and know firsthand the importance of keeping concrete sealed,” said Carl Anderson, a highway superintendent in Orange County, Indiana. “I was impressed by the product we used to seal the bridge decks. The dry time differs quite a bit depending on the weather and how porous the deck was. I will definitely recommend this product to my fellow superintendents of other Indiana counties. Thank you for this great opportunity.”

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Video: Spring 2026 weather outlook for Wisconsin; What an early-arriving El Niño could mean

Northeast Wisconsin is a small corner of the world, but our weather is still affected by what happens across the globe.

That includes in the equatorial Pacific, where changes between El Niño and La Niña play a role in the weather here -- and boy, have there been some abrupt changes as of late.

El Niño and La Niña are the two phases of what is collectively known as the El Niño Southern Oscillation, or ENSO for short. These are the swings back and forth from unusually warm to unusually cold sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean along the equator.

Since this past September, we have been in a weak La Niña, which means water temperatures near the Eastern Pacific equator have been cooler than usual. That's where we're at right now.

Even last fall, the long-term outlook suggested a return to neutral conditions by spring and potentially El Niño conditions by summer.

But there are some signs this may be happening faster than usual, which could accelerate the onset of El Niño.

Over the last few weeks, unusually strong bursts of westerly winds farther west in the Pacific -- where sea surface temperatures are warmer than average -- have been observed. There is a chance that this could accelerate the warming of those eastern Pacific waters and potentially push us into El Niño sooner than usual.

If we do enter El Nino by spring -- which we'll define as the period of March, April and May -- there are some long-term correlations with our weather here in Northeast Wisconsin.

Looking at a map of anomalously warm weather, most of the upper Great Lakes doesn't show a strong correlation, but in general, the northern tiers of the United States do tend to lean to that direction.

The stronger correlation is with precipitation. El Niño conditions in spring have historically come with a higher risk of very dry weather over that time frame, so this will definitely be a transition we'll have to watch closely as we move out of winter.