Recently, the international standard ASTM E1981-26 (Standard Guide for Assessing Thermal Stability of Materials by Methods of Accelerating Rate Calorimetry), whose revision was led by Sheng Min, Chair Professor of the School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, and Director of the Reaction Safety Research Center, was officially released and came into effect. As a member of the Committee on Hazardous Chemicals (E27) of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Professor Sheng Min has led the revision of international standards for the committee for many times, and won the 2024 ASTM Special Contribution Award for the revision of ASTM E537-24.
The ASTM E1981 standard focuses on the application of adiabatic accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC) in the field of material thermal safety testing, providing a scientific and unified technical specification for the thermal stability assessment of chemicals. Currently, ARC testing standards in many countries including China adopt or are translated from this standard. The release of the new version of the standard (ASTM E1981-26) not only further improves the accuracy and reliability of the testing method, but also provides an important basis for process safety assessment involving hazardous chemicals in the global chemical industry.
The successful revision of this international standard demonstrates East China University of Science and Technology's international influence in the field of chemical safety and thermal analysis, and is also an important achievement of the School of Resources and Environmental Engineering in promoting the in-depth integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation and serving the national strategy of energy and environmental security. In the future, the team will continue to devote itself to standard development and technological innovation in relevant fields.
Notably, the group standard Test Method for Thermal Stability of Chemicals - Accelerating Rate Calorimetry (T/CCSAS 057—2025), led and formulated by Professor Sheng Min, was issued on July 28, 2025. The full text of ASTM E1981-26, the international standard administered by ASTM Committee E27 (ASTM Committee on Hazardous Substances and Oil Spill Response), cites the main technical content of this group standard. According to relevant reports, this is also the first time that an international standard related to chemical safety has been formulated with full reference to a Chinese standard.
