Ciba® IRGASTAT® P permanent antistatic agent makes Schütz “ECOBULK MX-EX” intermediate bulk containers (IBC) acceptable for use in classified explosion hazard zones
At Interpack 2005, the international trade fair for packaging held in Düsseldorf, Germany in April, Schütz GmbH & Co. KGaA, a leading international manufacturer of packaging systems based in Germany, introduced a new generation of intermediate bulk containers (IBC). These IBC are produced by a continuous multi-layer blow molding system to create plastic containers with as many as six different layers. This unique technology enables Schütz to adapt their IBC to special market requirements. As one important example, these innovative bulk containers offer a breakthrough in explosion hazard packaging - the result of a joint project between Schütz and Ciba Specialty Chemicals.
In this new IBC, a special formula of HDPE and Ciba® IRGASTAT® P permanent antistatic agent offers customers high performance electrostatic properties. The rigid plastic containers are equipped with a translucent, antistatic layer which allows the IBC to be used in explosion hazard zones 1 and 2, and for the transporting and filling of goods with a flash point lower than 61oC.
The colorless Ciba® IRGASTAT® P permanent antistatic agent is incorporated into the outer layer of the IBC inner bottle to provide the desired antistatic properties. Schütz’s newly designed “ECOBULK MX-EX” now combines the transparency of the standard HDPE IBC with high performance electrostatic properties, required for use in explosion hazard zones 1 and 2.
“Until this new IBC container was introduced, flammable liquids and chemicals had to be transported and refilled in conductive IBCs. This safety precaution is mandatory for the use in explosion hazard zones 1 and 2. It meant that the IBCs either had to be covered by a full-metal jacket, or carbon black had to be added to the outer layer of the inner bottle material. In both cases the filling level inside the container was difficult to see and control. With the addition of Ciba® IRGASTAT® P permanent antistatic agent, we can offer our customers an IBC with a translucent inner bottle, with the capability to meet the explosion hazard zone requirements,” said Veit Enders, Sales & Marketing Manager Europe of Schütz.
The antistatic effect generated by the addition of Ciba® IRGASTAT® P stays permanent over the expected lifetime of the IBC, independent of typical environmental conditions. Even with typical outdoor exposure, the effect remains over such expected lifetime. The new ECOBULK MX-EX is officially approved for explosion hazard zone usage by the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig and Berlin, Germany’s national institute for science and technology and the highest technical authority for safety engineering.
The ECOBULK MX-EX has been well accepted by the market. Leading companies in the chemical industry are introducing it at several production sites. Schütz expects that the IBC produced with the new multi-layer technology will soon become the major substitution product for steel drums and other steel packaging.
For more information about the ECOBULK MX-EX permanent antistatic IBC container, please visit the website of Schütz GmbH & Co. KGaA: www.schuetz.net.
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