Last week, the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) senior leadership traveled to Washington, DC to meet with Members of Congress and their staff. One of the key discussions centered on the recently introduced Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (S.697). This legislation would reform the very outdated Toxic Substances Control... Read more »
The last decade of the 20th century saw a healthy rise of synthetic base stock in lubricants and greases. One industry expert had growth of API Group IV base stock, PAOs, at 5.5% a year growth from 1994-2000. But in 1997 Castrol reformulated one of their synthetic blends with Group III base oil and kept... Read more »
“It’s not so much that we’re interested in processing the eggs; that’s just demonstrating how powerful this process is,” says Gregory Weiss, UC-Irvine professor of chemistry and molecular biology & biochemistry. In conjunction with Australian chemists, UCI chemists have developed a method to unfold proteins which have been “misfolded” while being processed. The methods in... Read more »
Dunkin’ Donuts is reformulating its powdered sugar to not include titanium dioxide after an environmental nonprofit requested that it be removed. A Dunkin’ Donuts spokesperson said that the ingredient “does not meet the definition of ‘nanomaterial’ as outlined under FDA guidance.” With that said, the company still decided to change its powdered sugar. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/dunkin%E2%80%99-donuts-is-getting-rid-of-titanium-dioxide-in-its-food/ar-AA9Ahjb?ocid=UP97DHP.
First the good about salt brine. The Michigan Department of Transportation found that 40 percent of rock salt spread on roads ends up on the shoulder. While salt brine, a mixture of 23% salt and 77% water, is applied wet and remains on the roadways. The efficiency of salt brine not only helps to keep... Read more »
Two 600-foot ships collided on Monday due to fog causing a leak of Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE). This also caused a shut down of a portion of the Houston Ship Channel. MTBE is a gasoline additive that is not easy to clean up, according to the commander of the Houston-Galveston Coast Guard District. For more... Read more »
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 The lobby feels the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA) is outdated and leaves too much authority to the states when determining regulation.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 »
“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 »
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 »
One of the biggest concerns in winter is the problem of how to deal with ice on the roads. Currently the most popular method for dealing with this problem is with the use of sodium chloride (table salt). Sodium chloride is used because it is very inexpensive, but it does have its downsides. Sodium chloride... Read more »
