what are commodity chemicals

What Are Commodity Chemicals – Can You Purchase Commodity Chemicals In Bulk?

What are commodity chemicals? Commodity chemicals are the opposite of speciality chemicals that are used for niche markets and applications. Commodity chemicals are simply common chemicals like acetone or alcohol that are primarily produced and purchased in bulk for industrial purposes. These chemicals are very versatile and there is a large demand for them across industries. For this reason, many industries that use commodity chemicals for the production of their products or for cleaning and degreasing of their equipment, choose to work with bulk suppliers of commodity chemicals. Shopping for commodity chemicals with trusted bulk suppliers allows you to get all of the commodity chemicals you need in one place, in bulk quantities, for an affordable price. So what are commodity chemicals and where can you find them? If you are looking for a reliable and versatile supplier of commodity bulk chemicals, Ecolink can help.

Benefits of Ecolink’s Bulk Commodity Chemicals:

  • Large Quantity – Ecolink offers large bulk sizing of their full chemical line, including commodity chemicals. These bulk quantities include 5 gallon buckets and 55 gallon drums to ensure you always have enough supply on hand.
  • Diverse Chemical Selection – Ecolink offers a wide range of diverse chemicals including commodity chemicals, surfactants, parts cleaners, and eco friendly chemical alternatives. The full catalog can be browsed from the comfort of your home or office on their online store here.
  • Expert Knowledge – Ecolink’s team of chemical experts has over 30 years of experience to help you find the best chemicals for your applications and answer all of your questions to keep you safe and informed.
  • Fast Shipping – Ecolink’s standard shipping time on bulk chemicals is two business days. If you are in need of chemicals fast, they also offer expedited, same day shipping for orders placed by 11 am EST. 

What Are Commodity Chemicals and Where Can You Purchase Them?

What are commodity chemicals? If you have questions about commodity chemicals and need to get in touch with a reliable bulk supplier, contact Ecolink here! Ecolink and their team of chemical experts are ready to help you find exactly what you need!

 

bulk-propylene-glycol

Bulk Propylene Glycol – Best Uses and Suppliers

Purchasing bulk propylene glycol, is a great option for businesses in fields such as veterinary, pharmaceutical, air travel, or electronic cigarettes, that us large quantities of this chemical. Propylene glycol is used to absorb water, and has several uses such as a solvent, or de-icing agent, and purchasing in bulk is a great way to save money. If your company could benefit from purchasing bulk propylene glycol, you will first want to find a reliable supplier. Ecolink is an environmentally conscious provider of bulk chemicals such as propylene glycol, who can be trusted to supply their customers with both knowledge and a high quality product.

Who Can Benefit From a Bulk Supply of Propylene Glycol? 

  • Special Effects – Used in theatrical settings to create the effect of fog or smoke.
  • Airlines – Propylene Glycol can be used to de-ice airplanes.
  • Cosmetics – Propylene glycol is often added to cosmetic products, such as lipstick, to prevent freezing or melting when exposed to extreme temperatures.
  • Food Products – Used as an additive in packaged foods like dressings, ice cream, and breads to maintain moisture.
  • Pharmaceutical and Veterinary – Propylene Glycol is often found as an additive in many medicines.
  • Antifreeze – Propylene glycol is a main ingredient in antifreeze used for automobiles.

No matter what your use for propylene glycol is, you want to make sure you are purchasing from a trusted chemical supplier. Ecolink is a proud provider of bulk chemical supplies, who will work with you to find the chemical that best suits your specific needs, while providing a cost effective, high quality product. With the ability to provide bulk supplies from 5 to 55 gallons, Ecolink is equipped to service any industry in need of bulk chemicals. Contact us today to learn more about propylene glycol, or browse our products at our online store.

Methanol Uses in The Manufacturing Industry

Methanol: It is available!

If you are looking for an environmentally friendly, powerful, and affordable solvent, look no further than Methanol. It is commonly used in the manufacturing industry as a cleaning agent, in the Military Industry, Power Generation Industry, and in vehicles as a source of fuel. Methanol primarily uses are: as a solvent, antifreeze, and as a source of environmentally friendly fuel.

Methanol uses in the Manufacturing Industry

Methanol is frequently used as a solvent in laboratories. It can be converted into formaldehyde which is then used to make products such as plastics, paint, and explosives. It can also be used as a solvent in the manufacture of cholesterol, streptomycin, vitamins, and hormones. Methanol is also applied to aerosol products in the formulation of automobile de-icers used, frosted door locks, glass windows, and other iced-over surfaces.

Methanol In Wastewater Treatments

Methanol is an environmentally friendly chemical. Small amounts of methanol can be used in wastewater. Methanol converts harmful nitrates to safer nitrogen throughout a process called denitrification. Did you know that around 200 wastewater treatment facilities across the United States are using Methanol in their denitrification process?

Using Methanol injections as an antifreeze

Thanks to its chemical properties, Methanol can also lower the freezing point of a water-based liquid and increase its boiling point, therefore, it is used as an antifreeze to keep cleaning fluids from freeing. Methanol is used as an inhibitor in natural gas pipelines, especially in cold climate facilities. It is injected in natural gas pipelines or enters the pipeline by methanol drips in order to reduce the freezing point of water during oil and gas transportation. The recommended amount of Methanol that should be injected can be calculated by using available tables. This chemical is one of the most economical solutions for preventing hydrate formations.

Other uses of Methanol

Methanol can be used as a source of fuel.  Did you know that It drastically reduces the emissions of toxins which makes it environmentally friendly and reduces the chances of vehicles explosion?  

Interested in using Methanol? Please call (800) 563-1305 or send an email to products@ecolink.com.

Soy Ink versus Petroleum-Based Ink

soy-inkClick here to add your own text

What is Soy Ink?

Soy ink is made up of a slightly refined soybean oil incorporated with pigments, resins, and various waxes.  These waxes and resins are usually natural based additives. Newspaper printing companies use soy ink regularly because of how easily the ink absorbs into the paper.  As of lately, nearly ninety percent of American newspaper companies utilize soy ink as their ink of choice. A quarter of all commercial printing companies within the U.S. already use soy ink for their prints.  Since refined soybean oil is clearer, this allows for less pigment to be incorporated within the oil for the color to show. Additionally, the clearer base allows for the colored ink to appear sharper and brighter which is more desirable when printing.   

Benefits of Switching to Soy Ink

The soybean oil within the soy ink is completely biodegradable; depending on what the additives of the ink are, they too can be 100 percent biodegradable.  Soy ink produces no hazardous waste and makes the paper it is printed on much easier to recycle. During the de-inking process while recycling paper, soy ink can be removed more easily compared to petroleum-based inks.  Unlike the petroleum used within inks, which is usually crude oil, soybean oil is completely renewable. Soybean oil is also low in VOCs, twenty percent lower than petroleum-based inks. This allows soy ink to comply with the Clean Air Act’s thirty percent limit on VOCs.  

Downsides of Switching

One of the downsides from switching to soy ink is that soy ink is slower to dry than other inks.  Despite the slower drying time, soy ink balances that out by having a higher rub resistance than petroleum-based inks.

Another downside can be the soy ink not being fully natural and non-toxic.  Because the refined soy oil is only a component in the ink, depending on the manufacturer, the pigments added to the soy oil may cause it to become slightly toxic or unable to biodegrade fully.  This downside can be resolved by picking a soy ink with safer pigments and additives.

The final downside several consumers have viewed is how soy ink is usually more expensive than purchasing petroleum-based inks.  In the short run, this statement is seen as true due to the processing of the soy ink. In the long run however, soy ink results in fewer waste of the product, and less ink is used to achieve the same effect, along with less of a cleanup on the printing machines.  On average, soy ink goes nearly fifteen percent further than petroleum-based ink.

For more information regarding soy ink whether you are a manufacturer or a consumer, email us or call today (800)563-1305.

Methanol Injections to Prevent Hydrate Formation

Methanol Injections To Prevent Hydrate Formation

Thanks to its chemical properties, Methanol can lower the freezing point of a water-based liquid and increase its boiling point, therefore, it is used as an antifreeze to keep cleaning fluids from freeing.

Methanol is used as an inhibitor in natural gas pipelines, especially in cold climate facilities. It is injected in natural gas pipelines or enters the pipeline by methanol drips in order to reduce the freezing point of water during oil and gas transportation. In addition, this chemical is one of the most economical and practical solutions for preventing hydrate formations.

Determination of Methanol Injection Rate

Determining the right amount of Methanol can be challenging because after it is injected Methanol has to go through 3 phases: 1) the aqueous phase which is where the hydrate inhibition occurs 2) the vapor phase which can be calculated with different approaches or formulas 3) the hydrocarbon phase which is the hardest one to predict . The amount of Methanol to be injected has to be enough to replace methanol “losses” resulting from the vapor phase, and in order to suppress hydrate formation in the aqueous phase. The right amount of Methanol to be injected can be calculated by the sum of the calculations of each of these 3 phases. There are different Methods in order to determine the right amount of methanol that should be injected in order to prevent hydrate formation. Engineers are the ones who study these methods and come up with calculations. Normally the calculations that they make are available in tables.

How is Methanol Injected Into Pipelines?

After the desired dose of Methanol is calculated then the injection process begins. Methanol is injected into pipelines with an injection pump. Many other equipment such as timer in order to control the flow of liquid, a controller for controlling the amount of Methanol that is being used, a temperature sensor, and an electric motor in order to make some of these equipments work.

Interested in Methanol? Please call (800) 563-1305 or send an email to products@ecolink.com