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.

Firefighting foam is commonly used at airports, hangars and other locations where hazardous fires can occur. The foaming agent used in the foam in most cases is a surfactant based chemical. Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension between two liquids, or a liquid and a solid. Dishwashing liquid is a surfactant—and like firefighting foam, it foams up when it mixes with water.

Citric acid is a chemical commonly used in a number of different beverages and drinks as a flavoring and preservative. It can also be found in some household cleaners. Safe citric acid storage isn’t necessarily a major challenge, but there are a few things you must keep in mind in order to make certain that you’re storing citric acid properly. 

Since 2010, the EPA has required every diesel truck to have a diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tank onboard. The DEF system sprays the fluid into the exhaust to help eliminate the NOx emissions in diesel engines. DEF is a combination of urea and deionized water, and it is critical that the solution stay pure. Impurities will cause the DEF system to stop, which will shut down the operation of the truck.

We work with DEF manufacturers and distributors to provide reliable storage solutions that ensure their DEF stays 100% pure.

Polymers are used in wastewater treatment plants to flocculate or coagulate suspended solids to produce large curds of solid materials. They also aid in dewatering digester cake, in order to reduce the water content and permit easier, less expensive transporting of waste materials to the landfill.

Polymers present unique storage challenges and require customized storage solutions to keep your workers safe and your costs low. Let’s explore these challenges and solutions.

 
Once your food production facility outgrows your 300-gallon totes, it’s time to look into larger storage tanks for food storage and clean-in-place chemicals. There are several options on the market to choose from, but you’ll need to consider which storage tank can meet your greatest challenges: FDA requirements, full-drain capabilities, and cost-effectiveness.

Leachate and condensate from landfills can contain hazardous constituents either as a direct result of the waste disposed in the facility (e.g., household hazardous wastes) or as a result of the breakdown of the chemical compounds found in waste (e.g., leachate derived constituents).

Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), also known as caustic soda or lye, is a common inorganic compound that is typically used as a strong chemical base. It has a wide variety of uses such as making paper, drinking water, medicine and is even used in food preparation. It can be found in many household items such as drain cleaner, detergents, and bath soaps. While this chemical is widely used, its properties present special storage and handling challenges. 

 Sulfuric acid can be a tricky chemical to store. Used in a wide variety of industrial applications, sulfuric acid is heavy, can create toxic or flammable gas, and can burn the skin. A smart storage solution for sulfuric acid should start with a well-thought-out tank design - not of just the tank material but the entire storage system and all components.

Sodium chloride brine is used in a variety of industrial applications. Auto manufacturers, system OEM’s, food processors, municipalities, refineries, hotels, hospitals, commercial laundries, textile dyeing houses, and chemical plants all use brine in their operations.