Researchers at Iowa State University are turning to wax made from soybean oil as a potential biodegradable alternative to standard industrial paraffin wax, ISU reports. If successful, the product could reduce waste from the nearly 3 billion pounds of paraffin-coated boxes that end up in landfills every year. Lead researcher Tong Wang and her team recently received a $90,000 continuation grant from the United Soybean Board to develop new applications for the research.