Agriculture, horticulture and many manufacturing and processing industries need to safely mix, store and dispense chemicals in bulk. These substances vary widely, from liquids to granules and from low-hazard, non-toxic chemicals such as molasses to hazardous chemicals such as acids, alkalis and flammable liquids.
Naturally, the types of tanks used for bulk chemical storage are also varied and knowing which tank is the best for your bulk storage requirements can be complex, so let’s simplify it.
What chemical will the tank store?
Food and beverage ingredients
Widely used in the food and beverage industries, the gravity feed design of cone tanks enables efficient and complete emptying of the tank. They are also suitable for a wide range of chemicals, whether these be liquid, powder or granules.
Manufactured in a range of sizes up to 30,000 litres, the gradient of the cone base varies according to the viscosity or friability of the chemical being stored.
A cone tank is conventionally mounted on a steel frame and may be optionally fitted with an external bund (to protect the inner tank and capture any potential leakages from it). The top may be open, or fitted with a vented or unvented lid.
Molasses, feed and fertiliser
If chemicals such as molasses or fertiliser require static outdoor bulk storage, a vertical cylindrical tank is the best option as it takes up a relatively small footprint.
If bulk amounts of feed or fertiliser need to be transported between different locations, horizontal transport tanks feature integral, moulded-in baffles to stabilise the liquid during transport, and are available in a range of sizes up to 13,000 litres capacity. For ease of transport, they feature a pin mounting system that eliminates the need to strap them down onto a trailer.
Solvent-based chemicals
Depending on the chemical and its solution strength, some organic and non-organic solvent-based chemicals can be stored in polypropylene or polyethylene tanks. If you are considering using a plastic tank to store solvent-based chemicals, we recommend you contact us to discuss the suitability of the tank for its contents. Solvent-based chemicals also often require a different grade of tank fittings.
However, some solvents present in chemicals will degrade plastic over time and in these cases, a stainless steel tank is a safer and more durable option.
Fuels and effluent
Fuels and effluent are two chemical types that are frequently stored underground, as this can offer greater protection. Underground tanks may be rotationally moulded in polyethylene or polypropylene, but glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) is preferable for extra durability and chemical resistance. For example, GRP underground tanks from SPEL have a service life of up to 50 years and carry a 25-year warranty.
Acids and alkalis
Rotationally moulded polyethylene and polypropylene chemical storage tanks offer excellent resistance to acids and alkalis and polyethylene is almost completely chemically inert. As with solvent-baed chemicals, however, acids and alkalis are likely to require a different grade of tank fittings.
Similar in design to bulk water storage tanks, rotationally moulded plastic bulk chemical tanks feature an increased wall thickness to enable them to safely store chemicals with a specific gravity of up to 1.5 SG.
Heated chemicals
While polyethylene storage tanks perform well at ambient temperatures, polypropylene storage tanks are more durable when storing warmer liquids.
Where higher temperatures are involved, stainless steel tanks are another solution for bulk chemical storage and dispensing.
UV-sensitive chemicals
Some chemicals react unfavourably to the UV in sunlight, so if storage is required outside, rotationally moulded plastic tanks can be made from opaque black plastic, which offers a greater degree of protection (where UV protection isn’t an issue, naturally coloured tanks are semi-translucent and therefore make it easy to see the contents level at a glance).
Rotationally moulded tanks can also be manufactured in a range of opaque UV-resistant colours, which can be a useful way of colour-coding chemicals storage for easy identification.
Will the tank be used for mixing or dosing chemicals?
Some industrial applications require a tank to mix chemicals, either to combine separate chemicals or keep solids in suspension. Cone-based and vertical tanks fitted with mixing equipment for various substances are popular in the food and beverage, chemical supply and cosmetics industries.
Chemical dosing tanks typically have a smaller storage capacity and feature gradations on the side of the tank. Typical applications include chemical dosing for effluent treatment, supplying ingredients to a mixing tank and functioning as a mixing tank in their own right.
Can chemical storage tanks be bespoke-made?
Some applications require a tank design that falls outside of the range of standard specifications. In those cases, we design from scratch and use plastic welding techniques to produce tanks that perfectly suit the requirements of the application. One of our earlier blog posts gives a few examples of bespoke tank design and manufacturing.
If you have a chemical bulk storage requirement and don’t know where to start or would like expert advice, call us on 01953 665940 or email info@tanks-uk.com.