projects

Contract: Fire Retardant and Chemical Resistant Sealants

By October 25, 2016 No Comments

Client: Headlands Agrochemicals
Location: Deeside – Flintshire
January 2014

CONTACT;   Carl Rowe (Health Safety & Environmental Manager)

Headland Agrochemicals Ltd, an operating company of Cheminova A/S Denmark, is a leading supplier of both speciality and generic crop protection products, foliar nutrition (including a wide range of advanced micronutrient products), soluble fertilisers and adjuvants to UK agriculture, horticulture, industrial and amenity sectors as well as to overseas markets.

Headland Agrochemicals is located in Deeside, UK where it has a manufacturing and filling plant together with formulation development facilities and a quality control laboratory to ensure advanced products of the highest standard. Headland supplies a wide range of leading crop protection products including selective and non-selective herbicides for use in all sectors as well as fungicides and insecticides for the agricultural and horticultural sector offering advanced formulation for superior performance.

THE PROBLEM

Resitech Limited was contacted in April 2013  by Mr Carl Rowe of Headland  Agrochemicals with a unique problem specific to his site. Carl explained that the existing site had  many floor joints that required sealing to prevent chemical leaks to ground. It was a requirement that any sealing product would need to have both chemical and fire retardant properties to meet with the sites COMAH assessment.

Carl continued that in line the COMAH assessment, he was effectively trying to turn the internal area of the factory into a bund capable of containing any spillages within the walls and floor of the factory. Also if in the event of a fire the sealing material would need to be able to withstand the flames and contain the water used to control the fire in order to prevent any chemicals being washed down the joints and into ground.

After meeting our client and looking at the problem on site, Resitech Limited agreed to carry out investigation on Headland’s behalf to see if there were indeed any products capable of performing in the environment as found on site. We asked for details of the products or compounds that  could potentially be spilled  on site and were advised both Nitric Acid 64% and Phosphoric acid 75%  were being stored at the Deeside facility.

THE SOLUTION

Resitech undertook a research of  the marketplace on our Client’s behalf and found that only one supplier could offer a range of materials which may be suitable for use in this instance.

These products had not been tested at such high concentrations as found on this site, therefore “in situ” trials needed to be carried out to a length of joint identified by our Client as a typical scenario. The cured materials were then subjected to controlled spillages and monitored for performance.

After successful testing Resitech Limited was able to offer a unique repair strategy tailored to satisfy our Client’s needs. The works to part of the site were undertaken during January 2014, and are currently programmed for later in the year for completion.

2013-07-10