Maintaining the proper temperature of a chemical is often critical to safe storage. For example, sodium hydroxide at a 50% concentration will start to crystallize at or below temperatures of 60 degrees F. With polyethylene tanks, heating pads and insulation can maintain the specific temperature of the chemical you’re storing—even when your chemical tank is exposed to low air temperatures.

Purchasing a chemical storage tank is a significant investment. You want confidence and reassurance that the tank will give you the dependability and longevity that was advertised. A strong and transparent warranty shows that the manufacturer believes in and stands behind their product.

Wastewater treatment requires more aggressive chemicals—and in larger amounts—than municipal drinking water treatment. As a result, it is vital to properly store the chemicals used in the wastewater treatment process.

Poly Processing Company invites you to visit us at booth #1403 at AWWA ACE 2019, June 10-12 in Denver, Colorado.

Sulfuric acid is one of the most widely used chemicals in the United States. More sulfuric acid is produced every year than any other chemical. It has a multitude of industry-specific uses, such as the production of other chemicals, dyes and pigments, water treatment and fertilizers.

This heavy, corrosive chemical requires a specifically designed storage system. That’s why Poly Processing follows engineered guidelines that ensure safety and enhanced tank life.

With some chemicals, it’s critical to keep them cool because they will lose their concentration when they heat up. Sodium Hypochlorite is a prime example of that. As it heats up, it starts to lose its strength, and it begins to release gas and free radicals. Its strength can diminish dramatically with heat and UV.

So it’s important to keep the chemical as cool as possible from the moment it arrives at your facility. Other chemicals are similar—if they become too warm, they won’t perform as well as you need them to.

Clean-in-place (CIP) systems are becoming more and more popular in the food manufacturing industry. The system design makes cleaning the interior surfaces of a storage tank and the lines going out of it more effective and efficient without having to enter the tank. They also allow for a thorough cleaning with less exposure to harmful chemicals or contamination of food and beverage mixtures.

Many hazardous situations are safer because of CIP systems, but they require certain considerations to be effective. Let’s look at how to make your clean-in-place system most effective.

No matter what chemicals you’re storing, it’s important to conduct routine annual storage tank inspections. These inspections are vital to keep the chemical tanks, fittings, venting and accessories in good working condition—and to avoid costly surprise failures. Even if the polyethylene tank is relatively new, a routine and careful visual inspection is recommended.

Sodium hypochlorite is a chemical used in thousands of applications. As an aggressive oxidizer, it’s critical to limit the opportunity for the chemical to escape the storage tank. If you’re using a polyethylene tank to store oxidizing chemicals, you can double the life of your chemical storage tank by using an engineered antioxidant tank system.

Municipal projects require detailed specifications for anything purchased as a capital expense. At Poly Processing Company, we’ve teamed up with several national engineering firms to develop pre-written engineering specifications for our three most popular tanks: the SAFE-Tank®, the vertical tank with IMFO® and the upright vertical tank.