Month: March 2015

Chemical Industry Pushing For Federal Regulation Reform

The chemical industry lobby is pushing congress to pass new legislation on the regulation of chemicals. The lobby feels the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA) is outdated and leaves too much authority to the states when determining regulation. A new federal bill would help to create a more standard set of rules throughout... Read more »

Chemical Dial Controls Hydrophobic Interactions

“It’s arguably one of the most important interactions between molecules, because it occurs in water where biology and so much technology happens,” says UW-Madison chemical and biological engineering professor Nicholas Abbott. A group of UW-Madison researchers, including Abbott and UW-Madison chemistry professor Sam Gellman have provided new insights on hydrophobic interactions within complex systems. The... Read more »

Product Focus: Acetyl Tributyl Citrate

Mainly used as a nontoxic plasticizer in PVC, cellulose resin and synthetic rubber, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate (ATBC) is also valued for its biodegradability in nail polishes and other cosmetics. ATBC provides many improvements over di-butyl phthalate in cellulose nitrate films due to its lower volatility, better resistance to yellowing and better adhesion to metals. It... Read more »

Stored Oil Could Mean Continued Low Prices

With OPEC estimating output to increase by 400,000 barrels per day this year and non-OPEC supplies likely to rise by twice that, the glut of world oil supply does not look to clear up any time soon. The fact that world oil storage is approaching capacity, rising by 265 million barrels last year, has only... Read more »