Investigating environmental and technical problems in the remediation bunds

Abstract

Our daily lives are unimaginable without the use of chemicals. In order to make chemical products available at the retail level, industrial companies that produce and use chemicals in large quantities need to operate. On average, there are between 20 and 40 serious accidents involving dangerous substances in the EU every year. Inadequate design, construction and plant operation further increase the likelihood of environmental contamination. Relevant international and national legislation and recommendations require the use of a containment system to contain the chemical spillage in the event of a chemical storage unit failure, avoiding significant environmental contamination. However, the sizing of the containment is limited to determining the containment capacity and there is no guidance in the legislation or recommendations on the ratio of floor area to wall height or on the operating requirements. This publication examines the main environmental and technical issues affecting chemical storage tank containment. As a result, a safety recommendation and methodology is formulated that can be easily implemented in daily practice.