Dairy, Food, and DEF Storage Tanks That Outlast Other Solutions

Industries that use chemicals and solutions with special chemical standards have to keep a close watch on the storage solutions they rely on. Chemical storage tanks that are susceptible to corrosion or bacterial growth are costly to maintain and replace, and great care must be taken to ensure that the stored materials are preserved.

Dairy, food and drug, and DEF industries have specific storage requirements. Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) storage tanks offer practical advantages to other storage solutions. Here’s a quick breakdown of the advantages XLPE tanks provide.

Dairy

The dairy industry has strict standards that must be followed in order to ensure the product is safe for human consumption. The manner in which chemicals and products are stored has an important role in ensuring these standards are met. Poly Processing provides several key services for storing dairy products—especially cheese. Here are examples of two uses:

Brine Storage Tanks

Sodium chloride brine solutions are often used for dairy production and cheese processing. The brine solution consists of a very specific salt water mixture, which must be stored in tanks that meet particular specifications. The tanks must:

• Prevent freezing
• Allow for ventilation to contain tank dust
• Maintain sufficient levels of water and salt so that the brine is consistently the correct concentration

Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) storage tanks are a cost-effective option that offers a faster production time, longer warranty, and greater resistance to damage.

Whey Storage

Once a waste product, whey is now a valuable byproduct of cheese making, which is recycled and dried as a powder for protein shakes or meal bars. Storing whey requires tanks that are resistant to bacteria and capable of draining completely. Poly Processing’s IMFO tanks and cone-bottom tanks are the ideal solution to ensure safe storage and 100% drainage.

Food and Drug Applications

Clean-in-place (CIP) systems are used by food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries because they make it possible to clean out production equipment without tearing it down. This is critical, because many food- and beverage-related tanks and equipment are piped with stainless steel or metal pipes that need to be cleaned regularly to prevent bacteria growth.

CIP systems use high-purity chemicals and cleaning agent formulas with surfactants to clean and sanitize process equipment. These surfactant based chemicals require special storage tanks, and having the right CIP chemical storage solution is critical. The proper tank for CIP chemical storage is bacteria-resistant, maintains strength, and withstands the damaging effects of surfactants.

Poly Processing can provide chemical storage tanks that are FDA compliant. Our OR-1000 system has four times more antioxidants than traditional linear polyethylene, and has a slicker surface with fewer micro-pores, making cleaning quicker and less costly.

Diesel Applications

Diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) is used in diesel applications to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel engines. DEF is a high-purity chemical solution that can corrode certain metals, so it is essential to properly store the solution in chemical storage tanks that won’t degrade. It’s also important to completely drain the chemical in order to remove sediments and impurities. The IMFO® system is an ideal storage solution. The cross-linked polyethylene wall resists chemical corrosion, and the integrally-molded flange makes it easy to clean, since the tank drains at its true bottom.

XLPE storage tanks provide ideal storage solutions for dairy, food and drug, and diesel industries, because of their durability, drainage options, and resistance to bacteria. Find out about the exact kind of tank that’s best for your process—contact one of our chemical storage experts. These specialists can help you choose a tank that’s best for your needs.