Sulfuric Acid is a highly corrosive liquid mineral acid. Proper safety training, as well as a strong awareness of the inherent dangers of the chemical, are essential to those who work with it. Our Safe Handling Guide provides an overview of the essentials of Sulfuric Acid safety. About Sulfuric Acid Sulfuric Acid is a very […]
Solvents Soften in Wake of Propylene Headwinds
July 15, 2022 Acetone and Isopropyl Alcohol, two major commodity solvents, are softening due to market shifts with feedstock propylene. A by-product of crude oil and natural gas refining, propylene is experiencing both an increase in supply and simultaneously a decrease in demand. Propylene can be derived from various intermediates, such as ethane, butane, or […]
Cleaning with Citric Acid? Here’s What You Need to Know.
Citric Acid is a common ingredient that is found in a wide variety of consumer products, including cleaning products, food, etc. Besides its many uses as an ingredient, it can also be very useful on its own for certain cleaning applications. It is found naturally in citrus fruit juices (E.g. lemon juice) and is […]
Propylene Glycol vs Ethanol: A Case for Ethanol in Geothermal Systems
Propylene Glycol and Ethanol are both environmentally friendly, readily biodegradable, and safe to handle when used as geothermal fluids. Propylene Glycol-based fluids are often the default fluid of choice when filling a geothermal closed-loop system. However, there are many benefits that come with the use of Ethanol-based heat transfer fluids. Here are two different example […]
Overseas Producers Relieve Citric Acid Shortage
May 26, 2022 Domestic production issues and a lack of imported Citric Acid from Thailand left the U.S. short on supply for some time now. This situation was not expected to change for another year or so. However, large quantities of import material have filtered their way into the U.S. market from China and India […]
Cleaning with Caustic Soda Beads? Here’s What You Need to Know.
Caustic Soda Beads, also called Sodium Hydroxide Beads or lye, are commonly used for soapmaking and pH adjustment. They can also be used on their own, directly, for cleaning purposes. While they can be very effective when used for cleaning, they are also corrosive with inherent hazards that must be respected. This is why […]
Safe Handling Guide: Sodium Hydroxide
Sodium Hydroxide is a highly caustic base and alkali. Proper safety training, as well as a strong awareness of the inherent dangers of the chemical, are essential to those who work with it. Our Safe Handling Guide provides an overview of the essentials of Sodium Hydroxide safety. About Sodium Hydroxide Liquid Sodium Hydroxide, sometimes called […]
Propylene Glycol Sees Relief But Still Tight
April 28, 2022 A softening in spot prices and increased availability for Propylene Glycol was welcome news earlier this year. Despite this, tightness of supply is still at hand in the U.S. market, and is expected to last at least through 2022. Propylene Glycol (PG) is a downstream product of either crude oil (crude-derived Propylene […]
Plant Outages Plague Sodium Hydroxide
April 21, 2022 Unplanned and planned plant outages have been plaguing the Sodium Hydroxide market. Most recently, disasters at two Chlor-alkali producers are causing ripples. A chlorine leak and fire in a Plaquemine, LA plant did not result in any injuries but has disrupted production at a major Chlor-alkali producer. They have declared Force Majeure […]
Plugging the Gap: Crude, Chemicals, and the Ukraine Conflict
March 30, 2022 The conflict in Ukraine is heavily impacting both oil and downstream chemicals. Here is the current situation and outlook, plus all of the chemical increase announcements we’ve seen so far. Crude Oil (situation/outlook): Russia, one of the top three oil producers in the world, has been supplying about 10% of the global […]
