Soy-Based Technology Works to Extend Shingle Life

The Ohio-based company, Roof Maxx, is using a soy-based roof rejuvenation product to extend the life of asphalt roof shingles. The Ohio Soybean Council, Ohio State University and Battelle Memorial Institute worked together to develop the soy-based Roof Maxx technology. Today, it is offered in 44 states.

As shingles age, the oil dries out, causing them to become brittle and eventually break apart, similar to how potholes develop in the road over time. Many times, homeowners don’t notice damage until it’s too late and the roof is leaking and potentially unsafe. Roof Maxx restores the oil in the shingles using millions of microbeads of soy oil to penetrate dried-out shingles and rejuvenate them. The asphalt restorer increases the flexibility and water resistance of the shingles, extending the roof’s lifetime.

According to Roof Maxx’s website, the product is safe for humans and pets because it is an all-natural food-grade product derived from soybean oil. The use of soy as an ingredient also eliminates concern of contaminating surrounding property with volatile chemicals, allowing overspray to be washed away with a quick spray of the hose or rainfall.Roof Maxx also touts re-saturating the shingles with oil restores the color.

Roof Maxx is the first soy-based, all-natural oil used on roofing, but it’s not the only example of soy-based technology put to use inside the home. To read about other consumer applications for soy and browse soy-based products, visit the Consumer Products section of the United Soybean Board’s Soy Products Guide.