By Dan Lemke

Currie, Minn. — Oil and water may not mix, but fortunately for three Minnesota grain farmers, oil and dusty roads do.

In 1996, Howard Hamilton, Arland Moger and Bob Nelsen formed Environmental Dust Control. They’ve been working dirty jobs ever since, applying “Dustlock,” their soy-based dust and gravel tamer, to miles of public and private gravel roads, campgrounds, fairgrounds and work areas.

Soapstock keeps it low

Dustlock is made from soapstock, a generally low-value byproduct of soybean refining. It binds the surface and dust particles of roadways, conserving gravel and suppressing dust. Unlike its competitors — magnesium chloride, calcium chloride and lignium sulfate — Dustlock is biodegradable and renewable. When applied at recommended levels, it doesn’t migrate into the ground water or affect crops.

“We felt this was something we could do to promote the use of an ag byproduct that we were directly involved in producing,” says Moger, EDC secretary and treasurer.

“Dustlock is environmentally friendly and renewable,” says Steve Olson, manager of AURI’s Marshall office. “Plus it’s making use of a byproduct that hasn’t had a lot of uses.”

So far the company has applied more than a half million pounds of Dustlock in Minnesota and the Dakotas — on work sites, around lakes and in residential areas where dust can be a problem. Results have been positive and interest is growing.

Down and dirty lessons

Like any blossoming business, EDC has had to learn some things the hard way, says Hamilton, company president. One hard lesson was realizing that not all soapstock is created equal. Sometimes other byproducts of refining, such as coconut oil, are mixed in, which changes the EDC product’s effectiveness.

“Instead of just accepting what the refiners send, we’ve learned to ask more about the quality and where it comes from,” Hamilton says. “We need to know, so we can match our products with the needs of our customers.”

EDC purchases soapstock from a variety of refiners and brokers in the Midwest, and consistent quality requires plenty of diligence. “Soapstock is a general term,” Moger says. “Because of quality variances, we’ve had to do a lot of blending to get the quality we need.”

A pothole in the road

The quality issue stands as a pothole for EDC’s expansion plans. Franchising is a company goal, but not until quality issues are resolved.

“Since the three of us can’t be everywhere at the same time,” Moger says, “we need applicators who can cover all the potential area out there, but that will be difficult until we can get a guaranteed supply.”

AURI has provided product quality testing, business plan assistance and marketing help to EDC. There’s a real benefit to working with AURI, Moger says: “They’ve asked the questions we otherwise may not have asked ourselves.”

“They’re taking measured steps,” Olson says. “I think they realize eventually they’re going to need to bring in others to help reach their potential.”

“At the end of each season we’ve asked ‘do we feel that the market is there and we should continue?’” Hamilton says.

“We’ve answered ‘yes’ all three years.”