Intermediate bulk containers (also known as IBC tank, IBC tote, IBC, or pallet tank) are industrial-grade containers engineered for the mass handling, transport, and storage of liquids, semi-solids, pastes, or solids. The two main categories of IBC tanks are flexible IBCs and rigid IBCs. Many IBCs are

reused Reuse is the action or practice of using an item, whether for its original purpose (conventional reuse) or to fulfill a different function (creative reuse or repurposing). It should be distinguished from recycling, which is the breaking down of us ...

or repurposed.

Description

Rigid IBC tanks

Rigid intermediate bulk containers are stackable, reusable, versatile containers with an integrated

pallet A pallet (also called a skid) is a flat transport structure, which supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, a pallet jack, a front loader, a jacking device, or an erect crane. A pallet is the structural foundat ...

base mount that provides

forklift A forklift (also called lift truck, jitney, hi-lo, fork truck, fork hoist, and forklift truck) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th century by various c ...

and/or pallet jack maneuverability. These containers can be made from metal, plastic, or a composite construction of the two materials. Rigid IBC design types are manufactured across a volume range that is in between that of standard shipping

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

and intermodal tank containers, hence the title "intermediate“ bulk container. IBC totes are authorized per Title 49 CFR codes to be fabricated of a volume up to while maintaining the "IBC" name and their federal shipping and handling permits. IBC tank capacities generally used are often . Intermediate bulk containers are standardized shipping containers often UN/DOT certified for the transport handling of hazardous and non-hazardous, packing group II and packing group III commodities. Many IBC totes are manufactured according to federal and

NSF NSF may stand for: Political organizations *National Socialist Front, a Swedish National Socialist party *NS-Frauenschaft, the women's wing of the former German Nazi party *National Students Federation, a leftist Pakistani students' political gr ...

/ ANSI regulations and mandates, and are often IMDG approved as well for domestic and maritime transport. Metal alloy IBC tanks are also manufactured according to NFPA and UL142 certification standards for extensive storage of materials labeled as flammable and/or combustible. Intermediate bulk containers can be manufactured from various materials based on the requirements of the application or service the IBC will be used for. Traditional materials include: * Plastic (high-density polyethylene) * Composite: galvanized steel and plastic * Carbon steel * Stainless steel (304 and 316/316L grades) The most widely utilized and known IBC is the limited re-use, caged IBC tote container.

Caged IBC totes Caged IBC totes are one of, if not the most commonly used of all current intermediate bulk container design types. Caged IBC totes are handling and shipping containers for the storing, transit, and operation integration of various commodities, wit ...

are composite intermediate bulk containers — a white/translucent plastic container (typically high-density polyethylene) contained and protected by a tubular

galvanized steel Galvanization or galvanizing ( also spelled galvanisation or galvanising) is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot-dip galvanizing, in which the parts are submerged ...

grid, common. Caged IBC totes are commonly used due to their low cost, wide compatibility, and versatility.

Flexible IBC tanks

A standard flexible intermediate bulk container can hold and manufacturers offer bags with a volume of . In addition to the above materials, flexible IBCs can also be made of fiberboard, wood, aluminum, and folding plastic. Folding IBCs are also made of heavy plastic. Their sides fold inward when the unit is empty allowing the IBC to collapse into a much smaller package for return shipment or storage. Flexible intermediate bulk containers, made of woven polyethylene or polypropylene bags, are designed for storing or transporting dry, flowable products, such as sand, fertilizer, and plastic granules.

Engineered design

Most IBCs are cube-shaped and this cube-shaped engineering contributes to the packaging, stacking, storing, shipping, and overall space efficiency of intermediate bulk containers. Rigid IBC totes feature integrated pallet bases with dimensions that are generally near the common

standard dimension of or . IBC container’s pallet base is designed for universal maneuverability via

/ pallet jack channels. Almost all rigid IBCs are designed so they can be stacked vertically one atop the other using a

. Most have a built-in tap ( valve,

spigot A tap (also spigot or faucet: see usage variations) is a valve controlling the release of a liquid or gas. Nomenclature United Kingdom * Tap is used in the United Kingdom and most of the Commonwealth for any everyday type of valve, partic ...

, or faucet) at the base of the container to which

hose A hose is a flexible hollow tube designed to carry fluids from one location to another. Hoses are also sometimes called ''pipes'' (the word ''pipe'' usually refers to a rigid tube, whereas a hose is usually a flexible one), or more generally '' ...

s can be attached, or through which the contents can be poured into smaller containers. The most common IBC sizes of 275 and 330 US gallons fit on a single pallet of similar dimensions to pallets which hold 4

(220 US gallons), providing an extra 55-110 gallons of product in the IBC over drum storage, a 25%-50% increase for the same storage footprint. Additionally, IBCs can be manufactured to a customer's exact requirements in terms of capacity, dimensions, and material.

Advantages

There are many advantages to the engineering and design of the IBC model: * Being cubic in form, they can transport more material in the same footprint compared to cylindrical-shaped containers, and far more than might be shipped in the same space compared to packaging in consumer quantities. * Composite IBCs rely on plastic liners that can be filled and discharged with a variety of systems. * The manufacturer/processor of a product can bulk package a product in one country and ship to many other countries at a reasonably low cost where it is subsequently packaged in final consumer form in accordance with the regulations of that country and in a form and language suitable for that country. *High organization, mobility, integration capabilities. *Increase logistic and handling timelines, efficiencies, and capacity through single container filling, moving, loading, transit, and dispensing. *Potential long term assets given the durability of IBC construction materials. *Provides a reliable and consistent way to handle or store materials.

Uses

IBCs are often used to ship, handle, and/or store: * Bulk chemicals including

hazardous material Dangerous goods, abbreviated DG, are substances that when transported are a risk to health, safety, property or the environment. Certain dangerous goods that pose risks even when not being transported are known as hazardous materials ( syllabi ...

s or

dangerous goods Dangerous goods, abbreviated DG, are substances that when transported are a risk to health, safety, property or the environment. Certain dangerous goods that pose risks even when not being transported are known as hazardous materials ( syllabi ...

Commodities In economics, a commodity is an economic good, usually a resource, that has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the market treats instances of the good as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to who produced them. The price of a comm ...

and

raw material A raw material, also known as a feedstock, unprocessed material, or primary commodity, is a basic material that is used to produce goods, finished goods, energy, or intermediate materials that are feedstock for future finished products. As feedst ...

s used in industrial production *

Liquid A liquid is a nearly incompressible fluid that conforms to the shape of its container but retains a (nearly) constant volume independent of pressure. As such, it is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, gas, a ...

granulate Granulation is the process of forming grains or granules from a powdery or solid substance, producing a granular material. It is applied in several technological processes in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Typically, granulation invo ...

d, and powdered food ingredients *

Food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...

syrups, such as

corn syrup Corn syrup is a food syrup which is made from the starch of corn (called maize in many countries) and contains varying amounts of sugars: glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to softe ...

maple syrup Maple syrup is a syrup made from the sap of maple trees. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Maple tree ...

molasses Molasses () is a viscous substance resulting from refining sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, method of extraction and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is primarily used to sweeten and flavour foods ...

* Petrochemical products, such as oil, gas, solvents,

detergent A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties when in dilute solutions. There are a large variety of detergents, a common family being the alkylbenzene sulfonates, which are soap-like compounds that are more ...

s, or

adhesive Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation. The use of adhesives offers certain advant ...

s * Rainwater *Used IBCs are the basic building blocks for many home

aquaponic Aquaponics is a food production system that couples aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as fish, crayfish, snails or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) whereby the nutrient-rich aquaculture water is fed to hyd ...

systems *

Paint Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many ...

s and industrial coatings * Pharmaceutical compounds, ingredients, intermediates, batch products *

Healthcare Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

related items, solid commodities, bio-waste,

waste material Waste comes in many different forms and may be categorized in a variety of ways. The types listed here are not necessarily exclusive and there may be considerable overlap so that one waste entity may fall into one to many types. * Agricultural ...

s * Vineyards,

wine fermentation The process of fermentation in winemaking turns grape juice into an alcoholic beverage. During fermentation, yeasts transform sugars present in the juice into ethanol and carbon dioxide (as a by-product). In winemaking, the temperature and speed ...

, spirits production *Agriculture, nursery, greenhouse uses and chemicals *Many water, waste water, process water applications across industry sectors *Used by land owners to support

firefighting Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter. Firefighters typically ...

activities

Acquisition and disposal

Intermediate bulk containers may be purchased or leased. Bar code and

RFID Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder, a radio receiver and transmitter. When triggered by an electromag ...

tracking systems are available with associated software. An IBC can be purchased as a new unit (bottle and cage), a rebottled unit (new bottle and washed cage) or a washed unit (both bottles and cages have been washed). A washed unit is typically less expensive, with the new unit being the most expensive, and the rebottled unit near the mid-point. In many cases, a customer may purchase a mix (“blend”) of these types of units under a single price, to simplify the accounting. The customer's choice of unit primarily depends on either actual or perceived sensitivity of their product to contamination, and the overall ability to clean their specific product type from the bottle. Those with a lower contamination risk are prime candidates for the washed units. With the exception of products produced in "clean rooms" (GMP - good manufacturing practices), the decision of a washed over a new is usually a matter of availability or appearance. An IBC can be leased in a closed-loop (using only the IBCs which were used by a given customer and washed or rebottled) or the most common open-loop system (where the origin of the rebottled or wash unit is flexible). For plastic composite units, the trip lease has largely been replaced by a blended purchase. Single use flexible IBC's such as those used for aggregate transportation in the construction industry are a major source of plastic pollution. Most aggregate suppliers do not offer a scheme to refund a deposit upon return of empty IBC's & (in UK) they are frequently fly tipped & seen abandoned roadside.

Safety

When exposed to fire as in a warehouse event, plastic IBCs containing combustible or flammable liquids can melt or burn fairly rapidly, releasing their entire contents and increasing the fire hazard by the sudden addition of combustible fuel. Rigid plastic (as high-density polyethylene) IBCs that transport and house flammable/combustibles are recommended to have clear labeling and stored within properly secured structures and according to federal regulations, such as NFPA and OSHA. Metal IBCs (as carbon steel and stainless steel) are often approved per UL 142 requirements for housing these materials long term. Accordingly, metal IBC tanks can be used for Class I materials, while rigid plastic IBCs can be used for Class II/III materials. Concerning the mechanical stability and sloshing of intermediate bulk containers during transport, some research has been performed through the U.S. Department of Transportation which seems to indicate that IBC containers perform overall very well during transit in terms of sloshing and mechanical stability. For metal IBCs, test reports by the German ''

Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (german: , or BAM) is a German material research institute. History Its historical origins start in 1871, a year in which Germany was unified, as the ''Mechanisch-Technische Versuchsansta ...

'' (BAM) show that a metal IBC can withstand fire for at least 30 minutes, if it is equipped with a pressure venting device.

History

The concept of the IBC was patented in 1992 by inventor Olivier J. L. D'Hollander working for Dow Corning S.A. It was inspired by the patent of a "Fold up wire frame containing a plastic bottle", patented in 1990 by Dwight E. Nicols for Hoover Group, Inc.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Intermediate Bulk Container Containers Packaging Shipping containers