Other activities
Other activities carried out by SOLVENTEC include the cleaning of carbon disulphide storage facilities and vapour-phase solvent cleaning (UTLI Process).
Cleaning of carbon disulphide facilities
Carbon disulphide is an extremely flammable solvent, and its storage facilities fall within the scope of the SEVESO Directive on the control of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances.
In addition to cleaning the tanks and containment sumps of the storage facilities, SOLVENTEC carries out the extraction and filtration of the carbon disulphide remaining in the tanks, with the quality required for its consumption within the facility itself or for dispatch to another consumer, and the on-site treatment of contaminated carbon disulphide and sludge.
The treatment of contaminated carbon disulphide and sludge must be carried out on-site because no treatment or incineration plant accepts them due to their extreme flammability and high sulphur content. Techniques used for this purpose include cryocondensation of gasified carbon disulphide through stripping with steam and hot nitrogen, or through the drying of carbon disulphide and contaminated sludge.
Solvent cleaning (UTLI process)
SOLVENTEC began its operations by applying a patented method for cleaning viscous hydrocarbon storage facilities using vapour-phase solvents. Subsequently, the knowledge and experience gained led SOLVENTEC to specialise in the emptying and cleaning of tanks, pipes and process units containing petroleum products and highly viscous vegetable oils, as well as in the cleaning of storage facilities for extremely flammable solvents, particularly carbon disulphide.
The selective extraction methods applied to the cleaning of of storage facilities for viscous hydrocarbons offer significant advantages in terms of safety and waste management compared to solvent cleaning, which has led to the UTLI Process now being virtually obsolete.