When companies come to Poly Processing, they aren’t just looking for the best chemical storage tank options. Our customers also trust us for some of the most reliable information in the industry. We are dedicated to helping you store your materials safely.

Peracetic acid is a bactericide and fungicide that is used in the food industry and wastewater management. It’s a potent chemical that must be treated with care and stored properly. Improper handling could be costly and result in personal injury.

We've recorded a podcast with industry experts Phil Harvey, Vice President of Operations and Jane Smith, Director of Marketing from Enviro Tech. We had an in-depth discussion about using and storing peracetic acid.

You can listen to the full podcast and / or read the summary below. Click on the download arrow in the player below to download or the play button to listen.

You can also download and favorite the Poly Processing Tech Talk Podcast from your favorite podcast player including iTunes, Google Play, Pandora, Stitcher, Spotify, and YouTube. Just type in the search box in the player of choice "Poly Processing Company Tech Talk" and then favorite it or like it. That's all there is to it. 

Properly treating wastewater is an important, but often misunderstood process. If wastewater isn’t treated correctly, it can be extremely harmful to our environment, including the people and animals that live in it.

Winter is approaching fast. With below freezing temperatures and snowstorms affecting millions of people each year, municipalities need to be ready to clear roadways and maintain equipment. De-icing fluid is used to break down ice and frost on roadway surfaces and aircraft.

The substance used for de-icing depends on its application, the amount of snowfall, the municipality’s preferences, and winter temperatures. A variety of chemicals are used in the de-icing process, including brine, magnesium chloride, propylene glycol, and ethylene glycol. Brine is the most popular of these chemicals, but it can damage vehicles or rebar on roadways.

In the United States, hazardous materials are regulated by the EPA, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and Department of Transportation (DOT). Each organization has its own definition of hazardous materials.

Surfactants are the corn syrup of the chemical world—they’re in all kinds of products you’d never expect. Most people know that surfactants are an active ingredient in detergents, but you can also find them in a wide range of cleaning products, wetting agents, emulsifiers (including motor oil), foaming agents or dispersants.

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), also known as caustic soda or lye, is a common inorganic compound that is typically used as a strong chemical base.

In liquid form, caustic soda becomes “slippery” and tends to find weak points in storage containers, and fittings, and eventually create drips and leaks.

There are several types of chlorine sources that water treatment plants can use: chlorine gas, liquid sodium hypochlorite, or onsite production. Chlorine gas can be more cost effective, but a growing number of states are converting to bulk sodium hypochlorite or bleach. If chlorine gas is more economical, why would water treatment plants convert to sodium hypochlorite?

Hydrochloric acid (HCl), also known as muriatic acid, is toxic and highly corrosive. The chemical is used in many different applications, including chloride production, refining ore and producing metals like tantalum and tin. 

Because HCl is such a powerful acid, it is often used for neutralizing basic solutions. It also requires careful handling and an engineered storage system that is designed specifically for hydrochloric acid.

If you’ve seen hairline cracks like spiderwebs on your chemical storage tank, you might wonder if you’re looking at a future problem. That’s a good question.

The short answer is, maybe. The long answer is a little more helpful, and this article will outline next steps for dealing with hairline crackling, called crazing.