Transporting Sodium Hydroxide
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When transporting Sodium Hydroxide it is essential to understand that all substances classified as ‘Hazardous for Transport’ are covered by sets of regulations relating to road, rail, sea or air transport.
Regulations place duties on everyone involved in the carriage of dangerous goods to minimise the risk of incidents and product an effective response.
Carriage of dangerous goods by road or rail is covered by international agreements which are updated every two years and this applies when transporting Sodium Hydroxide.
Our domestic regulations governing transporting Sodium Hydroxide are the ‘Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009.’ The European Agreement is known as the ADR Regulations. The domestic regulations reflect almost entirely the ADR Regulations.
When transporting Sodium Hydroxide there is a set procedure. Dangerous goods for transport are put into different classes depending on their physical properties. Nine different classes exist. All dangerous goods are assigned UN numbers which must be displayed on the outer package for identification. The description of the goods is called ‘the proper shipping name’.
Packing groups are assigned to dangerous goods which relate to the degree of hazardous properties; these can be I, II or III. Packing Group I is the most Hazardous whilst Packing Group III is the least Hazardous.
When transporting Sodium Hydroxide, the goods need to be marked with the UN Number, the hazard diamond for the class of material and orientation arrows.
Corrosive substances are classified as Class 8. The symbol is liquid spilling from glass vessels onto a hand and metal. A black background on the lower half, white on the upper half and the figure ‘8’ in the bottom corner.
Threshold limits are set for individual receptacles and full loads which are determined from the packing group. Below a set volume or mass the receptacle size is called a Limited Quantity. Transport rules are relaxed and the UN Number must be shown in a plain white diamond or the ‘LQ’ may be used.
Load limits determine the documentation and marking of vehicles carrying dangerous goods.
Sodium Hydroxide is classed as Hazardous for transport. It falls into the criteria for Corrosive substances and is given the Class Number 8. Different UN Numbers and Packing Groups apply to the product, dependent upon the form of the substance, whether solid or liquid and its concentration.
Sodium Hydroxide Solid
The proper shipping name is Sodium Hydroxide, Solid
The UN Number is 1823
The Packing Group is II.
A Limited Quantity code of LQ23 applies, which means that up to 3 kg can be transported in a package without application of the full ADR Regulations.
Suitable material for transporting the substance would be plastic, either a rigid container or a compatible strong bag. It is important that no substance can escape from the packing to the surrounding environment during transit. A typical style of packing would be a plastic drum with a screw top lid or an approved cardboard carton generally lined with a plastic bag inner. Bags should be water-resistant and made of woven plastic or film.
The solid substance may also be transported in IBC’s provided the general provisions of ADR are met. IBC’s must conform to the ADR packing instruction IBC08 and be compatible with Sodium Hydroxide. Plastics would generally be used, either rigid or a flexible inner contained in an outer rigid surround.
Sodium Hydroxide Liquid
The proper shipping name is Sodium Hydroxide, Solution
The UN Number is 1824
The Packing Group can be either II or III dependent upon the Corrosive properties. These are assessed against criteria based on the ability to destroy intact skin tissue within a certain time limit and the capacity to corrode mild steel.
More concentrated solutions have the Packing Group II and more dilute are Group III. Even very dilute solutions of 0.1 mol and below will be classified as Corrosive due to their ability to corrode steel on prolonged contact.
Limited Quantities for Sodium Hydroxide solutions are:-
- PG II, LQ 22 which is 1 L
- PG III, LQ 7 which is 5 L
Suitable containers for transport of Sodium Hydroxide solutions are either combination or single packagings. The material in contact with the liquid is generally plastic. Typical examples would be drums with non-removable head or a combination pack of plastic inner contained within an outer package of fibreboard. When above the Limited Quantity values all packaging must carry the UN symbol.
Sodium Hydroxide is also commonly known as Caustic, Caustic Soda, NaOH and Lye. Please refer to the relevant pages on this website for further information.
http://www.sodium-hydroxide.co.uk/transporting-sodium-hydroxide | Saved Friday, November 18th, 2011 - 5:09 AM