A systematic and comprehensive approach to reducing toxic chemical use, identifying wastes, conserving material resources, and conserving energy. 

In addition to learning how to prepare and certify TUR plans as mandated by the Toxics Use Reduction Act, participants learn how to model process flows, identify and evaluate alternatives to toxics, minimize resource use, analyze financial returns, and become a resource on various aspects of sustainability for their organizations.  

This course is part of the set of requirements for becoming a TUR Planner. It will meet Thursdays from September 8, 2011 through October 27, 2011 (no class Sept. 29) in Milford, MA. For further information, please contact Mark Myles, TURI Training Program Manager, at 978-934-3298.  

Announcing this year's academic research grants

TURI's research program connects the challenges currently facing industry with the expertise and innovation present at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.  Every year we provide seed funding to initiate research that will lead to new opportunities for companies to reduce their use of toxic chemicals. 

For the 2011/2012 academic year TURI will fund the following projects: 

1. "Safer, Versatile Adhesives via Thiol-Ene Chemistry" - Dr. Daniel Schmidt of the UMass Lowell 

   Research on safer high-performance adhesives

   Plastics Engineering Department will investigate a new family of highly versatile, high-performance adhesives using a safer alternative approach to polymer network formation. Dr. Schmidt's research with TURI has been very focused on safer and scalable solutions to current industry challenges. In this research, Dr. Schmidt will be partnering with ITW Devcon in Danvers.
2. "Polysaccharide Based Surfactants as Alternatives to NPEs in Laundry Detergent" - As a result of interaction with Massachusetts cleaning formulation companies at our Green Materials Research Symposium held last May, Drs. Ramaswamy Nagarajan and 

   The formulation must perform in laundry applications.

   Ryan Bouldin will be working with  Alpha Chemicals of Stoughton. This work will determine if the bio-based surfactants formulated by this research team can help eliminate nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), which are persistent aquatic toxics, from laundry operations.
3. Comparison of Disinfection Testing Methods to Assess Efficacy in the Field" - Dr. Nancy Goodyear of

   Disinfection effectiveness trials.

    UMass Lowell's School of Health and Environment will compare three test methods that can be used for in-field studies to determine the efficacy of cleaning and disinfection formulations created using safer ingredients. This research will be conducted with the assistance of TURI's green cleaning laboratory, with a goal of identifying reliable cleaning and disinfection methods and safer chemistries that can be used in homes and institutional settings.

If your company is facing a specific challenge that might lend itself to collaboration with UMass researchers and/or TURI, or if you have any questions about these or past TURI-funded research projects, please contact Pam Eliason.