EPS, or expanded polystyrene, is the plastic foam commonly found in food containers and has been a source of controversy due to the unrecyclable waste its use creates. Now researchers may have found an unlikely solution: Mealworms. The larvae of the darkling beetle will not only feed on EPS, but the microorganisms in their gut... Read more »
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a delay on a ban of the production and import of mid and long-chain chlorinated paraffins until mid-2017. Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) have long been used as additives in metalworking fluids, and groups such as the Chlorinated Paraffins Industry Association (CPIA) and the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association (ILMA) have... Read more »
Since the 1990’s, many scientists have pointed out various chemicals might be disrupting the endocrine systems of people and animals. In 1996 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formed scientific advisory committee to investigate such claims, and by 1998 the committee developed an Endocrine Distruptor Screening Program (EDSP). The program uses a uses a two... Read more »
Back in June, Shell took further steps toward its investment in shale gas by purchasing a site near Pittsburgh for a plastics and petrochemicals plant. The preliminary plants indicated that the plant would have three polyethylene resin production lines as well as an ethylene manufacturing line, and seven ethane crackers. The site would be able... Read more »
Procter & Gamble Co. recently announced they would be adding a bittering agent to the outside layer of their single-use laundry packets. The move comes after reports of children who were attracted to the bright candy-like colors accidentally ingesting the packets, leading to poisoning. While the product has gained in popularity over the years... Read more »
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is currently the third-largest volume thermoplastic and continues to show global growth. PVC demand is a price-sensitive market and has felt the impacts of the lower crude oil prices. After the major drop in crude oil prices last November, PVC prices began falling as much as 30% in some regions. Prices began... Read more »
Europe has found a future in agricultural production in the north-west corner of the continent. Researchers have found that the cost to produce sugar in that part of the continent would be among the lowest in the world. The estimate by Deloitte is that Europe could produce nearly 30% more agricultural products than they already... Read more »
The notion of absolute zero has been around for quite some time. Lowering the temperatures of a molecule as close to zero as possible could reveal some wacky physics that could reveal some properties on exotic states of matter. Now, a team at MIT led by physicist Martin Zwierlein, was able to cool down sodium... Read more »
Due to the federal government ceasing their price supports in 1972, the Castor crop has not been grown in the U.S. since then. Because of this, the U.S. had no choice but to turn to producers in China, India, and Brazil to supply its needs. But now, according to a new University of Florida study,... Read more »
Benzene, which is an aromatic hydrocarbon and a natural constituent of crude oil, has been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as a known contributor to cancer. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, an estimated 137 billion gallons of gasoline were consumed in the United States last year. This, unfortunately, makes benzene a substantial... Read more »
