PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Greening up the blue dye in jeans, police uniforms and the red, white and blue

2012-04-05
(Press-News.org) Efforts are underway to develop a more environmentally friendly process for dyeing denim with indigo, the storied "king of dyes," used to the tune of 50,000 tons annually to color cotton blue jeans and hundreds of other products. That effort is the topic of an article in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN). C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society.

In the article, C&EN Assistant Managing Editor Michael McCoy notes that concerns about the environmental effects of indigo represent a modern concern about an ancient product. Indigo produces a rainbow of hues, ranging from deep navy to pale pastels. For centuries, the primary source of indigo was branches of a bush native to India. In 1878, German chemist and Nobel laureate Adolf von Baeyer made the first synthetic indigo, but the process was too expensive. It took chemical manufacturer BASF years to find a practical process for making the dye, and that happened only because of a lucky accident in which a lab worker broke a mercury thermometer, and the mercury catalyzed a reaction to make the dye.

The story describes how a partnership between the dye manufacturer DyStar and Swiss startup RedElec Technologie may be the beginning of a new revolution in indigo dyeing that will improve its environmental profile. To get indigo dye to attach to denim and other fabrics requires chemical reactions before and after the dye impregnates the cotton fibers. Even with modern improvements to the technique, the process produces large amounts of waste. The article highlights a new approach designed to achieve a long-standing goal of eliminating the need for sodium hydrosulfite in the dyeing process. Doing so would green up the indigo dyeing process and stop a water pollution problem at its source.

INFORMATION:

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 164,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society contact newsroom@acs.org.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

AsiaRooms.com - SailQuest Samui Regatta Coming Soon in Thailand

2012-04-05
Thailand's SailQuest Sailing School is to organise a series of exciting boat races at the SailQuest Samui Regatta in May 2012.   It gets started on May 26th and runs through to June 5th, combining on-the-water competitions and festivities with a number of shore-based tie-in celebrations.   The regatta itself is held between May 29th and June 2nd, with the remaining days dedicated to transporting participants back and forth from the Ocean Marina in Pattaya, where the SailQuest school is based.   A number of different classes of boat will compete in the lavish event, ...

Therapeutic approach for patients with severe depression

2012-04-05
People with severe depression are constantly despondent, lacking in drive, withdrawn and no longer feel joy. Most suffer from anxiety and the desire to take their own life. Approximately one out of every five people in Germany suffers from depression in the course of his/her life – sometimes resulting in suicide. People with depression are frequently treated with psychotherapy and medication. "However, many patients are not helped by any therapy," says Prof. Dr. Thomas E. Schläpfer from the Bonn University Medical Center for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. "Many spend more ...

Why don't more women take a daily aspirin to prevent heart disease?

Why dont more women take a daily aspirin to prevent heart disease?
2012-04-05
New Rochelle, NY, April 4, 2012—Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, and evidence-based national guidelines promote the use of daily aspirin for women at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. However, less than half of the women who could benefit from aspirin are taking it, according to an article in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article is available free online at the Journal of Women's Health website. "Based on this survey, it is evident that the majority of women for whom aspirin is recommended ...

White Privilege Pop Quiz: The Test You Can't Fail -- Molly Secours Puts Racial Attitudes to the Test with a Series of Revealing Questions

2012-04-05
Taking the 'White Privilege Pop Quiz' by Molly Secours might reveal the inner racist. The quiz is merely a mirror that reflects how internalized racial biases and fears prevent those classified as white from recognizing, understanding--and ultimately perpetuating--inequities in education, health care, criminal justice and perhaps even premature death. Sample questions from the quiz are on her site, mollysecours.com. In light of the recent, untimely, and racially charged death of Trayvon Martin, Secours posted a blog on the site Redroom that included a few of the questions ...

Single baby boomers facing increased challenges as they age

2012-04-05
Nick and Bobbi Ercoline, the couple depicted on the "Woodstock" soundtrack album cover, have now been happily married for over 40 years. However, a new special issue of The Gerontologist showing the Ercolines as they look today — a portrait of successful aging — finds that their unmarried baby boomer counterparts generally fare much poorer in terms of economic, health, and social outcomes. In 2011, the first of the 79 million American baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) reached age 65. Among this population, approximately one in three people are unmarried; ...

A cannibalistic galaxy with a powerful heart

A cannibalistic galaxy with a powerful heart
2012-04-05
Observations by the two of the European Space Agency's space observatories have provided a multi-wavelength view of the mysterious galaxy Centaurus A. The new images, from the Herschel Space Observatory and the XMM-Newton x-ray satellite, are revealing further hints about its cannibalistic past and energetic processes going on in its core. At a distance of around 12 million light years, Centaurus A is the closest large elliptical galaxy to our own Milky Way. It has been marked as unusual since shortly after its discovery in the 19th century due to a thick lane of dust ...

AsiaRooms.com - Bali to Showcase Malay Artwork at Floated Exhibition

2012-04-05
A showcase of Malaysian artwork is coming to Bali at the Floated art exhibition, to be held later this month at the Kendra Gallery.   Beginning on April 14th, the event will feature pieces from a trio of acclaimed contemporary artists and will run through until May 10th.   Visitors to the show will be able to see how these three creative contributors offer different interpretations of social and cultural realities in Malaysia, a quickly-evolving society with a thriving arts scene.   Jalaini Abu Hassan's art aims to offer a unique perspective on the way historical ...

Titanic disaster 'unlikely to happen again'

2012-04-05
World-leading ship science expert, Professor Ajit Shenoi, says that a seafaring tragedy on the scale of the Titanic disaster is unlikely to happen again. Professor Shenoi, who is the Director of the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute at the University of Southampton, believes this is due to the many lessons that have been learned as a result of the tragedy 100 years ago. "A detailed Board of Trade inquiry set up after the tragedy identified that the reasons behind the Titanic's sinking and the huge loss of life could be categorised under two headings," Professor ...

AsiaRooms.com - Kenny G's Heart and Soul Show Coming Soon to Malaysia

2012-04-05
Superstar instrumentalist Kenny G will be treating audiences in Malaysia to some of his greatest hits at the forthcoming Heart and Soul show at Resorts World Genting.   To be held at the Arena of Stars on May 19th 2012, the performance will encompass many of the phenomenally popular entertainer's most enduring classics, including Songbird and The Moment.   Born Kenneth Bruce Gorelick, the artist burst on to the international music scene in 1986 with his scintillating saxophone solos, collaborating with music legends such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Frank Sinatra ...

How fat are your lab mice?

How fat are your lab mice?
2012-04-05
Researchers are increasingly aware that fat in some parts of the body is more harmful than fat in other places. To help determine how obesity works, scientists turn to animal models and now, they are able to visualize how much fat their lab rats are carrying and where they are storing it. The method will be published in the April issue of the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE). "One of the key benefits of this technique versus existing methods, like ex vivo analysis, is that this technique allows for non-invasive and longitudinal assessment of fat in small animal ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Scientists target ‘molecular machine’ in the war against antimicrobial resistance

Extending classical CNOP method for deep-learning atmospheric and oceanic forecasting

Aston University research: Parents should encourage structure and independence around food to support children’s healthy eating

Thunderstorms are a major driver of tree death in tropical forests

Danforth Plant Science Center adds two new faculty members

Robotic eyes mimic human vision for superfast response to extreme lighting

Racial inequities and access to COVID-19 treatment

Residential segregation and lung cancer risk in African American adults

Scientists wipe out aggressive brain cancer tumors by targeting cellular ‘motors’

Capturability distinction analysis of continuous and pulsed guidance laws

CHEST expands Bridging Specialties Initiative to include NTM disease and bronchiectasis on World Bronchiectasis Day

Exposure to air pollution may cause heart damage

SwRI, UTSA selected by NASA to test electrolyzer technology aboard parabolic flight

Prebiotics might be a factor in preventing or treating issues caused by low brain GABA

Youngest in class at higher risk of mental health problems

American Heart Association announces new volunteer leaders for 2025-26

Gut microbiota analysis can help catch gestational diabetes

FAU’s Paulina DeVito awarded prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Champions for change – Paid time off initiative just made clinical trials participation easier

Fentanyl detection through packaging

Prof. Eran Meshorer elected to EMBO for pioneering work in epigenetics

New 3D glacier visualizations provide insights into a hotter Earth

Creativity across disciplines

Consequences of low Antarctic sea ice

Hear here: How loudness and acoustic cues help us judge where a speaker is facing

A unique method of rare-earth recycling can strengthen the raw material independence of Europe and America

Epilepsy self-management program shows promise to control seizures, improve mood and quality of life

Fat may play an important role in brain metabolism

New study finds no lasting impact of pandemic pet ownership on human well-being

New insights on genetic damage of some chemotherapies could guide future treatments with less harmful side effects

[Press-News.org] Greening up the blue dye in jeans, police uniforms and the red, white and blue