Container for transporting hazardous liquids

Abstract: A container 10 for transporting hazardous liquids has a self-sustaining, leak-proof housing 11, a removable cover 18 that can seal the housing 11, and a sorbent body 16 resting on the flat bottom 13 of the housing 11, which body 16 comprises polyolefin microfibers and has a solidity of from 7 to 25%. The polyolefin microfibers preferably are particles, and the particles preferably are microwebs produced by divellicating a polyolefin microfiber web. When the container 10 is used to transport sorbent materials 16 that have been saturated by liquids of a chemical spill, the sorbent body 16 ensures against there being any free liquid in the container 10.

Description: Background of the Invention Field of the Invention The invention concerns a container for transporting and storing liquids that are possibly hazardous. More specifically, the invention is concerned with preventing such liquids from leaking into the environment. Description of the Related Art The invention is primarily concerned with the need to transport safely hazardous liquids, e.g. liquids recovered from chemical spills. European Patent Publication No. 0 391 686 which is available as a piece of relevant prior art against the subject patent only for the purposes of Articles 54(3) and 54(4) EPC discloses an article comprising compressed particles of polyolefin microfibers. The article has a solidity of at least 20% and is particularly suitable as a container for shipping and storing hazardous liquid materials or as a cryogenic container. A covering of shrinkable thermoplastic film is provided around the compressed polyolefin microfibers. Liquids from chemical spills typically are picked up by sorbent materials, e.g. POWERSORB™ liquid-sorbing pillows, pads, and booms from 3M, the company to which this patent is assigned. The liquid-saturated sorbent materials are then transported in unbreakable, leak-proof drums of several sizes, each of which is large enough to hold a number of saturated sorbent articles. Even though the drum is designed to be unbreakable and is sealed, U.S. Federal regulation 49 CFR 173.3 (c) (2) states: "Each drum must be provided with sufficient cushioning and absorption material to prevent excessive movement of the damaged package and to absorb all free liquid." Free liquid collects in the bottom of a drum principally as the result of compression, and subsequent desorbtion of liquid from saturated sorbent articles in the lower portion of the drum. Haphazard practices are currently used to deal with free liquids in shipping drums. Chopped corn cobs or similar sorbent materials are sometimes added to the loaded drums in an attempt to take up any free liquid. Summary of the Invention The invention provides a container which is believed to be the first by which sorbent materials saturated with hazardous liquids can be economically transported while meeting the requirements of the above-cited 49 CFR 173.3 (c) (2). The term "hazardous" can be applied to any liquid which might damage the environment, whether or not the liquid is classified as hazardous. Briefly, the container of the invention comprises a self-sustaining, leak-proof housing defining a reservoir, a removable cover that provides a liquid-tight seal across the top of the reservoir, and a sorbent body on the bottom of the reservoir, which body comprises polyolefin microfibers and has a solidity of up to less than 20%. By the "bottom" of the reservoir is meant the portion of the reservoir that is most remote from the lip of the reservoir. The bottom preferably is broad and flat to afford stability during storage and shipment. The sorbent body preferably is produced by compressing particles of polyolefin microfibers. The term "particles of polyolefin microfibers" includes 1) microwebs produced by divellicating a polyolefin microfiber web as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,948 (Insley). 2) particles obtained by hammer milling a polyolefin microfiber web, and 3) flash spun polyolefin microfibers, such as Tywick™ hazardous material pulp available from New Pig Corp., Altoona, PA which have a diameter of about 1 to 5 µm and an average particle length of 1 to 6 mm. The best sorbency for a given solidity is obtained when those particles are polyolefin microfiber microwebs. Alternatively, the sorbent body can be produced by compressing polyolefin microfiber webs such as the webs described in Wente, Van A., "Superfine Thermoplastic Fibers," Industrial Engineering Chemistry , vol. 48, pp. 1342-1346, and in Wente, Van A. et al., "Manufacture of Superfine Organic Fibers," Report No. 4364 of the Naval Research Laboratories, published May 25, 1954. As taught in the Insley Pat. No. 4,813,948, particles of polyolefin microfibers from which the sorbent body is made can be loaded with particulate material. The particulate material can be a sorbent-type material or a material selected to neutralize potentially hazardous liquids. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,373 (Braun), U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,324 (Anderson et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,001 (Kolpin et al.). The solidity of the sorbent body is calculated according to the formula % solidity = density of sorbent body Σ(comp. dens. X wt. fract. of comp.) X 100 where "comp. dens." is the density of the individual components present in the sorbent body and "wt. fract. of comp." is the corresponding weight fraction of the component. While greater sorbency is achieved at lower solidities, a sorbent body of higher solidity has greater coherency. Preferably the solidity is at least 7%, otherwise the sorbent body would tend to have insufficient integrity to remain intact while being handled or shipped, both before use and while being used to transport hazardous liquids. While the solidity of the sorbent body can be as low as 7%, its solidity preferably should be at least 12%, because sorbent bodies having solidities substantially less than about 12% shrink when saturated with liquid, thereby increasing their "effective" solidity to about 10 - 12%. Hence, an unsaturated sorbent body having a solidity of less than 12% necessarily occupies a greater volume percentage of the container than does a sorbent body of higher solidity that would sorb an equivalent quantity of liquid. This would reduce the number of saturated sorbent articles that could be placed in the container. The solidity of the sorbent body should be selected such that the thickness of the sorbent body is not substantially reduced or compressed under the weight of saturated sorbent articles to be loaded into the container. Typically, this level of compression resistance is attained when the solidity of the sorbent body is from 12 to 20%. Another factor to be taken into account is that sorbent bodies having higher solidities have better coherency and consequently can tolerate more abuse than sorbent bodies of lower solidity. The sorbent bodies of the invention reflect a compromise between the resistance to compression under expected loads, sorbency requirements, and integrity or strength requirements. The volume of the container that is occupied by the sorbent body should be kept to a minimum while being large enough to sorb the anticipated volume of liquid that may be desorbed from saturated sorbent articles loaded into the container. This can generally be accomplished when the sorbent body occupies less than 35% of the container volume. In most cases, the sorbent body should occupy from 5 to 25% of the container volume. The leak-proof housing and the cover of the novel container preferably comprise a high-impact, thermoplastic resin that is chemically resistant to aggressive chemicals, has good stress crack resistance, and retains good toughness at temperatures as low as -30°C. A preferred thermoplastic resin having these properties is polyethylene. For greater strength, the resin can be filled with reinforcing materials such as glass fibers or the housing and cover can comprise metal. The sorbent body preferably completely covers the bottom of the reservoir. It can also extend along the sides of the reservoir, there sorbing free liquids that might not be completely sorbed by the portion covering the bottom of the reservoir. However, because the sorbent body of the container of the invention has limited structural integrity, surfaces that may be subjected to abrasion are advantageously covered by a tough, porous material such as spun-bonded polypropylene scrim. Compression of the particles of polyolefin microfibers can be accomplished at ambient temperatures using conventional compression molding equipment such as flash molding or powder molding equipment. Generally, pressures in the range of 0.5 to 3 MPa are sufficient to achieve the desired degree of solidity. When the particles are microfiber microwebs, pressures in the range of 0.7 to 2.0 MPa should be sufficient to produce sorbent bodies in the preferred solidity range of 12 to less than 20%. At such pressures sorbent bodies of good integrity are obtained with no significant reduction in the available microfiber surface area. Brief Description of the Drawing The invention may be more easily understood in reference to the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic central cross section through a container of the invention; and Fig. 2 is a graph of sorbency vs. solidity for sorbent bodies useful in the invention. Description of the Preferred Embodiments The container 10 of Fig. 1 has a leak-proof resinous housing 11 with a substantially cylindrical wall 12 that creates a cupped reservoir having a flat bottom 13. The lip of the wall has been formed with male threads 14. The reservoir has been lined with a flexible plastic bag 15 that protrudes sufficiently to permit the bag to be tied shut after being filled with saturated sorbent articles. Covering the flat bottom of the reservoir is a sorbent body 16 that has been produced by pouring particles of polyolefin microfibers into the bag 15 and then compressing the particles into a coherent mass. After filling the reservoir with a number of unused sorbent articles such as pillows (not shown), a resinous cover 18 that has female threads 19 can be screwed onto the housing. With the cover in place, the container can be shipped to the site of a chemical spill and there opened to provide convenient access to its sorbent articles which are returned to the housing after being saturated with the spilled liquids. The bag 15 is then tied, and the container is sealed by screwing on the cover to permit the container to be transported to a disposal site. Fig. 2 is discussed in connection with Examples 2-12. TEST PROCEDURE Sorbency A plug of molded microweb material, 100 gm in weight, 14.5 cm in diameter, and having the indicated solidity, is placed in a container of water and allowed to soak for 15 minutes. The sample is then removed and allowed to drain for 15 minutes, and the sorbency of the plug is determined by weight differential. "Sorbency" is reported in grams of liquid retained per gram of absorbent. Examples Microfiber Source Web A polypropylene blown microfiber (BMF) source web was prepared according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,229, (Insley et. al.), reference. The microfiber web had an average fiber diameter of 6-8 µm (effective), a basis weight of 270 gm/m², a solidity of 5.75%, and contained 8% by weight "Triton X-100", a poly(ethylene oxide) based nonionic surfactant available from Rohm and Haas Corp. Microfiber Microwebs A The "Microfiber Source Web" was divellicated as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,948 (Insley), using a lickerin having a tooth density of 6.2 teeth/cm² and a speed of 1200 rpm to produce "Microfiber Microwebs A" having an average nuclei diameter of 0.5 mm, an average microweb diameter of 1.3 mm, and a solidity of about 2%. Example 1 Approximately 4.55 kg of "Microfiber Microwebs A" were placed in a 75.7 liter (20 gal) rated capacity polyethylene salvage drum (45.7 cm in diameter), the drum was placed in a hydraulic press, and the microfiber microwebs were subjected to a compression pressure of 0.70 MPa to form a sorbent body in the bottom of the container. The average thickness of the sorbent body after the drum was removed from the press was about 14.6 cm (5.75 inches) which corresponded to an average solidity of 18.85%. (The sorbent body was bowed toward the center of the drum resulting in a slight increase in the measured thickness of the central portions of the body relative to its edges). An assortment of POWERSORB TM sorbent articles (1 P208 Minibooms - 7.6 cm diameter X 244 cm length, 15 P110 Pads - 28 cm X 33 cm and 12 P300 Pillows - 23 cm X 38 cm, from 3M Co.) which had been previously saturated with water were then placed in the drum to fill it to capacity. The sorbent articles were displaced slightly so as to allow visual inspection of the bottom of the drum immediately after loading the saturated sorbent articles and again after the drum had been capped and allowed to stand at ambient conditions for approximately 20 hours. At both inspections, no free liquid was observed in the drum. Comparative Example A drum identical to that used in Example 1, except that its bottom did not contain a sorbent body, was loaded with the same number and types of saturated sorbent articles as in Example 1. Inspection of the drum for free liquid immediately after the saturated articles were loaded into the drum revealed free liquid, of a depth of approximately 13 cm, surrounding the sorbent articles resting on the bottom of the drum. A similar examination after the drum had been capped and allowed to stand at ambient conditions for 20 hours revealed no significant change in the depth of free liquid. Examples 2 - 10 100 gm of "Microfiber Microwebs A" were placed in a 14.5 cm diameter (ID) cylindrical mold and compressed under the indicated pressure to produce a plug having the indicated thickness as shown in Table I in a process similar to that of Example 1. After removal from the mold, the sorbency of each plug was determined using the previously described Sorbency Test. Linear regression of the data of Table II produced curve 20 of Figure 2, which demonstrates a direct correlation between the sorbency of the compressed plugs and their solidity, namely, the lower the solidity, the higher the sorbency. It should also be noted that the sorbent body of Example 1, which was confined in a drum during testing, has a higher solidity than the plugs of Examples 5 and 9 which were compressed under similar pressures but were not confined during testing. Confinement, such as by the drum used in Example 1, can apparently limit post-compression relaxation of the compressed microfiber body. The solidity of confined compressed microfiber bodies can be as much as 50% higher than the solidity of identical microfiber bodies that are not confined.

Claims: A container 10 suitable for transporting hazardous liquids, said container 10 comprising a self-sustaining, leak-proof housing 11 defining a reservoir, a removable cover 18 that provides a liquid-tight seal across the top of the reservoir 11, and a sorbent body 16 on the bottom of the reservoir 11, which body 16 comprises polyolefin microfibers characterized in that said sorbent body 16 has a solidity of up to less than 20%, the solidity of the sorbent body being calculated according to the formula % solidity = density of sorbent body Σ (comp. dens. x wt. fract. of comp.) x 100 where "comp. dens." is the density of the individual components present in the sorbent body and "wt. fract. of comp." is the corresponding weight fraction of the component. A container 10 as defined in claim 1 wherein the polyolefin microfibers comprise particles of polyolefin microfibers. A container 10 as defined in any preceding claim wherein the sorbent body 16 has a solidity of at least 7%. A container 10 as defined in any preceding claim wherein the sorbent body 16 has a solidity of at least 12%. A container 10 as defined in any preceding claim wherein the sorbent body 16 occupies up to 35% of the volume of the reservoir 11. A container 10 as defined in any preceding claim wherein said sorbent body 16 occupies from 5 to 25% of the volume of the reservoir 11. A container 10 as defined in any preceding claim wherein the bottom 13 of the reservoir 11 is broad and flat to afford stability during storage and shipment. A container 10 as defined in any preceding claim wherein said sorbent body 16 also extends along the sides of the reservoir 11. A container 10 as defined in any preceding claim wherein the sorbent body 16 completely covers the bottom 13 of the reservoir 11. A container 10 as defined in any preceding claim wherein said particles of polyolefin microfibers comprise microwebs. A container 10 as defined in any preceding claim wherein the sorbent body 16 is loaded with solid sorbent-type particulate material. A container 10 as defined in any preceding claim wherein said sorbent body 16 is loaded with material selected to neutralize potentially hazardous liquids. A container 10 as defined in any preceding claim wherein said housing 11 and cover 18 are high-impact thermoplastic resin that is chemically resistant, has good stress crack resistance, and retains good toughness at temperatures as low as -30°C. A container 10 as defined in claim 13 wherein said housing 11 and cover 18 are polyethylene. A container 10 as defined in any preceding claim wherein said housing 11 is a resinous housing which has a substantially cylindrical wall 12, a broad, flat bottom 13, closing one end of the housing 11 to create a reservoir, and male threads 14 formed in the wall 12 opposite the bottom 13, said container 10 also comprising a flexible plastic bag 15 lining the reservoir 11 and protruding sufficiently to permit the bag 15 to be tied shut after being filled, wherein said sorbent body 16 also comprises compressed polyolefin microfiber microwebs which are located inside the bag 15 and completely cover the flat bottom 13 of the reservoir 11, and wherein said cover 18 is resinous and has female threads 19 by which it can be screwed onto the housing 11 to seal the container 10.

Inventors: ALVAREZ LAUREL A C O MINNESOTA, INSLEY THOMAS I C O MINNESOTA, ALVAREZ, LAUREL A., C/O MINNESOTA MINING AND, INSLEY, THOMAS I., C/O MINNESOTA MINING AND
Applicants: MINNESOTA MINING & MFG, MINNESOTA MINING AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B65D81
IPC codes: B65D81, B65D88, B65D90