Conference Speakers

Robina Hogan

Nippon Nozzle Technical Representative, Frankl & Thomas, Inc.

BIOGRAPHY

My 30 year engineering career at Celanese Corporation was in R&D, manufacturing, and customer technical service in fibers and polymers for polyester, carbon fiber and acetate. After retirement I founded four LLC’s, Hogan Consulting, Soybean Tech, FIICZA and GPC Resins, for technical consulting business specializing in fibers, polymers, paper, composites, printing and fiber spinning equipment.

With Celanese Corporation, I did extensive engineering and sophisticated data analysis at manufacturing sites in United States, Canada, Mexico, and Belgium. My customer technical service, was with large multinational companies as well as small independent companies in polyester, carbon fibers and acetate.

As Owner and President of Hogan Consulting LLC, GPC Resins LLC and Soybean Tech LLC, I currently work on commercializing soybean, a renewable product, into a polymer, paper, fiber, films and composites. The commercialization process includes project management with universities, companies, United Soybean Board, and Indiana Soybean Board.

My other consulting business is developing and selling textile equipment for Frankl-Thomas (spinnerettes and wet, dry and melt spinlines) for Fourne and Nippon Nozzle. Other corporate technical activities include involvement in companies such as for Danforth Group, Beyond Meat, Simulate, Bolt Threads, Werewool, Wildtype, Hewlett Packard, Universal Fibers Impossible Foods to name a few .

I am currently involved with the Indiana Soybean Board funded projects in mulch films, disintegrating paper, dissolving detergent pods, soy absorbent fiber and soy hull cellulose and working with customer for commercial interest and product transition.

I served as the Materials Interest chair for AATCC and Board member for AATCC. I have jointly written journals and book articles relative to soy chemistry and fiber spinning technology. In addition, I have presented at numerous conferences.

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Development of Soy-Based Biodegradable Mulch Films: Enhancing Agricultural Sustainability through Polymer Innovation

Plastic films, mostly made from linear low-density polyether (LLDPE), are widely used in commercial applications. Farming operations, use an agricultural mulch to manage weed growth, reduce water usage, manage soil temperature, and significantly increase the yield of fruits and vegetables.

Most of the agricultural mulch is not biodegradable and must be removed after each growing season. and gardening markets.

The Indiana Soybean Alliance funded research is to incorporate a soy waste stream product into polymers currently used for mulch films to enhance biodegradation, while maintaining function and performance.

With commercial partners, a polymer product was developed using a PBAT & PLA (BASF Ecovio®) and a soy additive, called ECOSoy, successfully to produce an environmentally friendly mulch film and reduce the cost of labor for farmers.

Farm field trials were successful with degradation beginning at the end of the corn and fruit crop growing season.

This technology has the opportunity to be expanded into other biodegradable film and plastic applications.

Advanced Materials Testing Center using a 10% additive results indicated

-Calcium, Zinc and Iron are present and may benefit plants as residue.

-BASF Ecovio® Film (M2351) meets current specs for ASTM D 6400 and EN13432 as a biopolymer and is certified for Biodegradability.

  -ATM 5988 Soil Testing evidenced improved degradation of ECOSoy versus control BASF Ecovio ® films.