Towards a sustainable material revolution
Okara is the waste-product as soybeans are processed to make soy milk, tofu and a wide range of soy products. During the manufacturing of tofu, about 1.2 kg of fresh okara is produced for every 1 kg of soybean processed. A small quantity of this may be used as animal feed or fertilizer but typically, bulk of it is discarded as waste. Huge quantities of this waste are produced worldwide. Japan produces an annual 800,000 tons, Korea produces 310,000 tons, and China 2,800,000 tons. This poses an environmental problem, as the residue is discarded in landfills to rot. The high moisture content further makes okara difficult to dispose in an environmentally friendly manner because of its rapid putrefaction. We bring to you a technology comprising a robust, scalable method of processing left over okara into a bio-resin, which can potentially reduce/replace our dependency on plastics and leave a healed planet for our future generations!