Flocculant IBC's... Safe or No?

jono81

I don't claim to be an expert on Acrylamide, but from the looks of it it should be ok seeing it is water soluble and biodegradable.

I guess I was just erring on the side of caution, as in the past I've scrupulously washed and scrubbed out some IBC's which had also contained water soluble chemicals and there still was a smell of it in the container for weeks afterwards, seeming to indicate that yes it is indeed possible for traces of it to remain in the HDPE walls of the IBC, which whilst are very smooth must still contain some porosity or small scratches you'd probably only see under a microscope. One example was a batch of food grade IBC's which had contained orange fruit juice concentrate (the reconstituted cordial type). Couldn't get the smell out no matter how much they were cleaned, but they were used for aquaponics in the end as I was confident in safety of the chemicals and the history of the IBC's, which may well be the same conclusion the original poster may come to.

jono81

slowRider wrote:

Why would it be possible for the chemicals to leach out of the plastic when you're not deliberately trying to remove it, but it isn't possible for the chemicals to leach out when you are deliberately trying to remove it?

I never said that? IBC's may leach their previous ingredients, albeit in very minute amounts, over time, depending on many factors such as the chemical involved, the method of cleaning, condition of the IBC etc. Do you disagree?

When IBC's are re-used to transport different chemicals, industry practice is to steam clean them between uses with equipment the average back yarder won't have easy access to, and even so you will never see an IBC which has contained diesel oil for example be re-used to transport food grade ingredients after. There is a reason for this.

tom77

jono81 wrote:

slowRider wrote:

Why would it be possible for the chemicals to leach out of the plastic when you're not deliberately trying to remove it, but it isn't possible for the chemicals to leach out when you are deliberately trying to remove it?

I never said that? IBC's may leach their previous ingredients, albeit in very minute amounts, over time, depending on many factors such as the chemical involved, the method of cleaning, condition of the IBC etc. Do you disagree?

When IBC's are re-used to transport different chemicals, industry practice is to steam clean them between uses with equipment the average back yarder won't have easy access to, and even so you will never see an IBC which has contained diesel oil for example be re-used to transport food grade ingredients after. There is a reason for this.

yeah I am sure that some of it is for health reasons and some of it is just regulations since it would be difficult to ensure something gets cleaned properly so it would be easier to just ban mixing certain things... although diesel to food would probably never be a great idea..

tom77

maybe bio diesel to food grade... maybe... as long as it is not in my AP system

Sleepe

jono81 wrote:

I don't claim to be an expert on Acrylamide, but from the looks of it it should be ok seeing it is water soluble and biodegradable.

I guess I was just erring on the side of caution, as in the past I've scrupulously washed and scrubbed out some IBC's which had also contained water soluble chemicals and there still was a smell of it in the container for weeks afterwards, seeming to indicate that yes it is indeed possible for traces of it to remain in the HDPE walls of the IBC, which whilst are very smooth must still contain some porosity or small scratches you'd probably only see under a microscope. One example was a batch of food grade IBC's which had contained orange fruit juice concentrate (the reconstituted cordial type). Couldn't get the smell out no matter how much they were cleaned, but they were used for aquaponics in the end as I was confident in safety of the chemicals and the history of the IBC's, which may well be the same conclusion the original poster may come to.

[quote="jono81"]I don't claim to be an expert on Acrylamide, but from the looks of it it should be ok seeing it is water soluble and biodegradable.

The point is the particular chemical was unstable (acrylamide) and in a very very low concentration. Considering the number of reactions it could have with acids, bases etc it degrades fairly rapidly.
If you want a safety tip based on current information in relation to very very low levels of acrylamide, eat your McWonderful french fries (chips) with a fork and always have vinegar on them. :lol:

As far as the orange juice goes, that would probably have contained methanol and a few esters. Esters can be detected in ppm and I am unsure about their effect on PE. (not that it particularly bothers me)

j_b

Wikipedia wrote:

Later studies have found acrylamide in black olives,[15] prunes,[16] dried pears[16] and coffee.[17] Estimates for the proportion of acrylamide in adults’ diet coming from the consumption of coffee range from 20 to 40%; prune juice has a high concentration of acrylamide, though adults consume it in far smaller quantities.[18] Acrylamide is also found in cocoa powder, roasted almonds, whole wheat bread, and Pringles.

wow, I prolly have more of this stuff in me than in the tote! lol

Backyard Aquaponics A place to discuss aquaponics

Flocculant IBC's... Safe or No?

Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics