Some Considerations of Tank Coatings for Quality Preservation of Palm Oil Chong Chiew Let RINGKASAN Kertas ini menjelaskan mengapa penyalutan tangki lazim digunakan untuk hasil minyak sawit, termasuk minyak mentah serta jenis penyalutan yang digunakan untuk mendapatkan spesifikasi tertentu. Maklumat ini amat berguna dan perlu diambil kira sebelum dan semasa memilik penyalut tangki yang sesuai. INTRODUCTION Storage of crude palm oil is the last stage of the milling process and the be- ginning of the refining process. Al though under normal circumstances, the storage process may be relatively short in both cases, this does not imply that it can be neglected or placed on the lowest priority, a view held by most millers and refiners. Oil quality deterioration can occur in relatively short periods of time, if the oil is not handled and stored properly. If the oil is to be stored over longer peri- ods of time, then the storage conditions become even more critical. One aspect of storage conditions is tank coatings or linings. Tank coatings or linings for refined oils and stainless steel tanks or linings for corrosive prod- ucts like palm fatty acid distillates are well accepted. However, there is a com- mon misconception amongst both mill- ers and refiners that tank coatings are unnecessary for crude palm oil storage tanks due to the fact that the oil will have to undergo refining later. It should be emphasised that every step taken to 17 ensure that crude palm oil quality is not impaired will go a long way towards the final keeping quality of the refined oil. This fact should be kept in mind by both the millers and transporters of crude palm oil. This paper will attempt to answer why tank coatings are gener- ally preferred for palm oil products, in- cluding crude oil and what are required of the coatings to be used and their application requirements in order for the right specifications to be included when calling for tender. QUALITY PRESERVATION AND TANK COATINGS. Since crude palm oil is the raw material for the refining industry, every effort should be expended to ensure that only good quality crude oil is pro- duced and that the quality of the oil is not compromised at any of the subse- quent stages. As mentioned before, it is avery common misconception amongst millers that the quality of crude palm oil is not important since it undergoes re- fining later. Research has now shown that the ultimate keeping quality of aPORIM Bulletin 29 refined oil is intimately related to the quality of the crude oil. A deteriorated crude oil, even if it could be refined to meet the specifications of RBD oils, will not have the keeping quality of RBD oil produced from a good crude oil. For some unknown reasons, such refined oils are susceptible to oxidation, hy- drolysis, colour reversion and other quality deterioration reactions much sooner than oils obtained from good crudes. In what ways will tank coating/lin- ing be of benefit to oil quality preserva- tion? The contribution of tank coatings to oil quality preservation can be con- sidered from two points of view, namely that of helping to reduce the chance of oxidation and hydrolysis. a) Reduction of oxidation possi- bilities Trace metals such as iron and cop- per can act as catalysts in the oxidation reaction. For an uncoated steel storage tank, it can be seen that there will be a large iron surface area (internal tank wall) in contact with the oil when the tank is full. The bare mild steel wall can provide catalytic sites for the oxidation of the oil. This can be avoided if the internal tank wall is coated. This fact has long been recognized (bek-Nielsen, 1978). In the mill this phenomenon will be compounded if the oil is not cooled down prior to discharge into the bulk storage tank, bearing in mind that the oxidation rate also increases as the tem- perature increases. For the storage of high free fatty acid oil in uncoated mild steel tanks, the oxidation status of the oil could seri- ously deteriorate over time due to the 18 corrosive nature of the free fatty acids. ‘These organic acids will react with the bare metal surface to produce metallic soaps which are oil soluble. This proc- ess will also lead to the pitting of the smooth surface of the internal tank wall. ‘The combined effects of tank wall pit- ting and iron solubilisation will result in an overall increase in the surface area of iron exposed to the oil. This in turn will increase the rate of oxidation of the oil. Figure 1 shows the amount of iron picked up by a crude palm oil upon stor- age at ambient temperature in an un- lined and a lined mild steel tank with initial iron and free fatty acid contents of about 3.8 ppm and 3.5% respectively (bulk sample data). The final free fatty acid content after about 800 days of storage is about 6% in both cases (Chong et al., 1987). From the figure, it can be seen that there is a steady iron pick up by the crude palm oil with time. About 3pm of iron was picked up by the oil sample in the unlined drum over a storage period of half a year while there is hardly any iron pick up by the oil in the lined drum. The effect of this increase in the iron content of the oil is reflected in the oxidation characteristics of the oil which is more oxidised in the unlined drum than in the lined drum . Figures 2 and 3 show the primary and secondary oxidation status of an refined, bleached and deodorized palm oil stored in a lined and unlined drum at ambient tem- perature. The higher secondary oxida- tion values of the unlined drum sample showed that the oil has been oxidised at a faster rate than the oil in the lined drum (where the hydroperoxides from the primary oxidation have decomposed into secondary oxidation products).Some Considerations of Tank Coatings for Quality Preservation of Palm Oil © UNLINED DRUM ® LINED DRUM 14 IRON CONTENT (ppm) 12 2 n L L 1 L 1 rani 0 100. 200. +300. 400 500° 600 700 800 (cT2/AAS) STORAGE PERIOD (DAYS) Figure 1. Iron Content Of Crude Palm Oil Upon Storage (FFA 3.5%) Peroxide Value (mequiv./kg) Unlined drum 0 | | | o 30 10 150 STORAGE PERIOD (DAYS) Figure 2, Peroxide Value Results For Drum Bulk Samples At Ambient (RBDPO) 19PORIM Bulletin 29 Uy265um absorbance 039 unlined drum, 035 | 50 L 1 100 STORAGE PERIOD (DAYS) Figure 3. Accor 269nm Results For Drum Bulk Samples At Ambient (RBDPO) In view of past market situation in the country with a holding stock of close to a million tonnes of crude palm oil being stored, this point should be borne in mind. In general, oil is NOT recommended to be stored over any length of time. However, under extraor- dinary circumstances where oil has to be stored over prolonged periods of time, then it is preferred that the oil be stored in coated tanks, preferably with added antioxidant(s) (where permit. ted). Where citric acid is used as a chelating agent, the citric acid contain- ing oil should never be allowed to come into contact with bare mild steel sur- faces due to the corrosive nature of cit- ric acid on these surfaces. 20 b) Reduction of Hydrolytic Pos- sibility (Enzymatic) Tanks with coatings are relatively easier to clean compared to uncoated tanks. This will greatly reduce down time due to tank cleaning. As a result the tanks can be rapidly cleaned more frequently. Frequent cleaning of tanks will result in less build-up of tank foots, thereby reducing the potential build-up of dirt content with time. The low dirt level in the tank at all times during oil storage will not be able to sustain mi- croorganism — growth nutritionally, hence reducing the potential of enzymatic hydrolysis even if the water activity is sufficiently high for microor- ganism growth.‘Some Considerations of Tank Coatings for Quality Preservation of Palm Oit TANK COATING SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS What are the requirements of tank coatings that are required for the palm oil industry? Due to the nature of the products involved, different coatings may have to be used. In general, the systems that are suitable should have the following characteristics: L ability to withstand temperatures of between 50°C to 90°C for long peri- ods of time; 2) be resistant to low molecular weight fatty acids (this is especially critical for palm kernel oil and products); 3) be able to withstand steam cleaning over a period of three to four days periodically; 4) preferably have a smooth surface finish to facilitate cleaning; 5) comply with FDA regulations in re- spect of food contact; 6) impervious to oil; and 7 easily applied and durable. 1) Ability to Withstand Tempera- tures of 50°C to 90°C This characteristic is of importance for tank coatings used for palm oil prod- ucts because the majority of palm oil and palm kernel oil products require heating (especially palm oil products). In the case of storage of crude palm oil in the mills, the tank temperature is a1 usually maintained at a constant tem- perature of about 50°C most of the time either by means of the hot incoming production oil or by external heating. Hence tank coatings will have to be able to withstand this temperature all year round. This is necessary to maintain the oil in a liquid state for immediate des- patch at short notices. Palm stearin tank coatings at refin- eries have to withstand higher tempera- tures, in the range of between 55°C to 65°C depending on the hardness of the stearin. Some stearin tanks are insu- lated to prevent heat loss and hence require no external heating to maintain the stearin in liquid form for rapid dis- patch. Temperature resistance is also a prerequisite for palm fatty acid distillate storage tank coatings. However, in addi- tion to this condition, other require- ments have also to be considered, such as the corrosiveness of the product. 2) Resistance to Low Molecular Weight fatty acids Organic acids of high molecular weight are relatively weak acids, but the acids of short chain lengths are rela- tively much more corrosive. In general, the free fatty acid contents of crude palm and palm kernel oils are below 5%. However, due to the fact that these oils are generally kept in a liquid state in- side the tanks, the 3 to 5 percent of free fatty acids that they contain could have a time effect on the coatings. This is es- pecially true for crude palm kernel oil storage where the shorter chain free fatty acids are much more corrosive than those of palm oil origin, The samePORIM Bulletin 29 is true for palm kernel oil fatty acid dis- tillates. Hence for tanks designated for storage of crude oils containing free fatty acids, the tank coatings should also be resistant to these fatty acids. This is especially true for fatty acid dis lillate storage tanks. At present most tank coatings can resist the 3 to 5 per- cent of fatty acids present in the oil, but not the 80 to 90 percent of fatty acid in the distillates which are kept at a tem- perature of about 60°C. At this high temperature, coupled with the corro- siveness of the fatty acids, nearly all tank coatings which comply to FDA’s definition for food contact, are rapidly damaged. To date, the best solution to this problem is the use of stainless stee! tanks or a stainless steel internal lining for mild steel tanks. 3) Steam Resistance Storage tanks have to be cleaned as often as possible even for crude oil stor- age. The need for cleaning refined oil storage tanks are obvious as they are considered as food products but the need for cleaning crude oil tanks are not as obvious due to the misconception that crude oil quality is less critical since the crude oil has to be refined. Tank walls can be cleaned either by means of pressurized water jets or by steaming. Hence tank coatings should be tough and strong enough to with- stand the cleaning process employed. 4) Smooth Surface Finish A smooth surface finish will result in less substances being able to adhere to the surface. This will enable the tank wall to be cleaned much more easily 22 and within a shorter period of time. Hence the tank can be cleaned more often as a result of the reduced down time of the tank. 5) Compliance with FDA Regula- tions The United States Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) have a set of regulations with respect to storage tank coating formulations which are allowed to be in contact with food products. Hence it is wiser to ensure that the for- mulation of the tank coating to be used comply with this requirement, at least for the top coat which comes into con- tact with the oil. Ideally all the various coats (both the primers and top coats) should comply with this requirement, but technical or economic constraints might render this not possible i.e. only the top coats are of food grades. In view of the fact that the top coat might be damaged as a result of wear and tear or as a result of deterioration with time, it is wiser to ensure that both the primer and undercoats do not con- tain toxic or harmful chemicals that might leach into the oil as a result of this top coat damage. In general, most epoxy formulations would be able to conform to this re- quirement. This could be verified by the coating supplier and if possible, this stipulation should be included in the tender and also the final contract. 6) Imperviousness to Oil Ab- sorption and Adsorption This requirement is necessary in order to prevent cross-contamination after a switchover of tank contents afterSome Considerations of Tank Coatings for Quality Preservation of Palm Oil washing. Present tank coating formula- tions are generally able to satisfy this requirement. 7) Ease of Application The best coating formulation would only be useless if the coating is not properly applied. In order to ensure that the coating is applied correctly, it is im- portant to know what are the application factors that will affect the performance of the coating, Listed below are some of these factors (Meow, 1989): a) size of tank/maximum overcoating interval between primer and subse- quent coats; b) dehumidification; °) gritblasting and application proce- dures; d) scaffolding: OD ventilation; lighting; g) gritblasting requirements; h) application of coating/stripe coat- ing; and quality through inspection. 4, & Tank size/maximum over-coating interval between primer and sub- sequent coats for internal tank walls 23 The size of a tank will have to be considered together with the applica- tion requirements of the coating formu- lations in order to draw up the work programme for the actual coating. For large tanks, the maximum overcoating times of: the coatings involved then be- comes important. The gritblasting and application procedures schedule should then ensure that the maximum overcoating intervals between the first and subsequent coats of paints are not exceeded. If the schedule calls for the tank to be coated section by section, then care should be taken to ensure that the surface is clean and dust free between coatings and that no richochet or overblast damage by adjacent gritblasting occur on the completed or semi-completed section(s). If such dam- ages occur this will lead to a breakdown of the coating during subsequent usage. Masking with protective sheets could help to prevent surface damage from gritblasting, but they are tedious, labo- rious, time-consuming and do not en- sure a dust free surface. A better solu- tion is dehumidification of the work area. If dehumidification is carried out properly, then the standard of blast could be held over a longer period of time. This will enable a larger area to be blasted before priming, and reduce the frequency of blasting, cleaning and priming. In turn, this will reduce the likelihood thatthe ~— maximum overcoating time will be exceeded. For certain coatings such as polyester lin- ings with short overcoating intervals, dehumidification is essential since gritblasting and priming has to be car-PORIM Bulletin 29 ried out in stages in the tank section by section. If no dehumidification is used, then blasting and priming will have to be carried out within a short period of each other, Due to the short maximum overcoating interval of the first coat, the second coat will have to be applied while blasting is still being carried out at adjacent sections, In such cases, overblast and richochet damage may occur if no proper precautions are taken. It is therefore essential for potential end-user to try to understand the type of coatings required and the maximum overcoating interval in order to see that the proper application procedures are drawn up. With proper dehumidifica- tion, it is possible to completely blast, clean and apply the coatings in se- quence to a whole tank without risk of exceeding the maximum coating inter- val. 6) Dehumidification During the blasting and painting pe- riods, condensation of atmospheric moisture must be prevented. This can be done by dehumidification of the air introduced into the tank during these periods. This will have the effect of low- ering the dew point of the steel tank surface. In general, the tank surfaces to be lined should be at least 3°C above the dew point immediately before and during the lining application as well as. during the subsequent curing. From ap- plicators’ experience, it is generally agreed that a relative humidity of be- tween 40%-60% would constitute an op- timal coating application environment. 24 ¢) Gritblasting and Application Pro- cedures For storage tanks, itis generally rec- ommended that the tanks be fabricated first, followed by the blasting and paint- ing in situ inside the tank. Blasting and prepriming of the steel plates at the workshop followed by fabrication of the tank and subsequent repairing (where necessary) and top-coating with the fi- nal layer should be avoided due to the many possibilities of coating damage as- sociated with this method of coating. In general, numerous procedures are available for gritblasting and appli- cation of tank coatings, but four of them are more commonly used and accepted. These four are shown —diagrammati- cally in Figures 4 and 5 (A to D). Other procedures can be used, but they must be agreed upon by tank owner, applica- tor and paint supplier. @) Scaffolding Scaffolding plays a subtle but impor- tant role in tank coating applications. It provides easy and safe access for the paint applicators. The construction of scaffolding should be such that it does not interfere with the surface to be coated. If the scaffold end has to be in contact with the surface being coated, the spade end type of scaffolding should be used. Prior to gritblasting, tubular scaf folding should be plugged to avoid in- gress of dirt and grit. The staging used should allow easy cleaning before the commencement of paint application. A distance of 2 meters between stagingSome Considerations of Tank Coatings for Quality Preservation of Palm Oil "ADVANTAGES No ovrbast/rchochet damage con high bul coats tH Mechanical damage restricted, | No problem cleaning uppers ater blasting bottoms DISADVANTAGES, Deatage Fully Long overcoating time for primer and coat or frst cot required. repair bottom Overlap requires preparation area Careful cleaning of bottom required, Bast’ fa ‘Scaffold Blast Bottom coat upper area bottom ares ADVANTAGES. No holding primer required. [No potential overcoating problems. HHH RE DISADVANTAGES, Overblast/richochet damage on Scaffold Blast Fully Destage Blast Fully coated areas. upper coat’ «and bottom — coat ‘Overlap requires preparation area upper repair area Bottom Cleaning of uppers after blasting: area area Dottor dificult without staging. E, Meow (1989) Figure 4. Tank Wall Gritblasting and Coating Procedures "ADVANTAGES, Continuous blasting of tank resrits overblast [ } [No cleaning problem. DISADVANTAGES, | Blasting bottom with scaffolding ea jn place Lona overcoating time for primer = sa esaae fa confit coat required sae ae eee Dae a Scaffold contact points on bottom sat eed preparing eee tli ret teat Overon eas reparation Higher level of dehurieitcation reauized ADVANTAGES | 0) Continuous basting of tank i reatits overblat No leaning problem No overlay problems DISADVANTAGES Possible dry spray on bottom Scaffold Shet_ Fully Destage when coating upper. jee eae Scaffold contact points on bottom | area total_—_repalr ea } ae Bottoms likely to be damaged E. Meow (1989) whist destaging Figure 5. Tank Wall Gridblasting and Coating Procedures 25PORIM Bulletin 29 levels will provide ease of applicator’s movement from one staging level to another. This would also ensure that the sprayer does not have to over- stretch the spray gun either upwards or downwards during film application. Overstretching may result in excessive dry-spray and areas of low film thick- ness. Excessive dry-spray will cause subsequent coats to have poor coales- cence and hence pinholing. To correct dry-spraying, sanding down with abra- sive paper would be required. For fixed staging lugs, stainless steel type lugs should be used as they are less prone to corrosion. This is nec- essary for the safety of the workers. In general, the layout of the staging should be such that proper ventilation throughout the tank is not hindered. Upon completion of the paint applica. tion, the staging should be removed without causing any mechanical dam- age. Any damages should be repaired in accordance to what was agreed upon. e) Ventilation Ventilation is necessary during gritblasting to allow adequate visibility for the blaster so that the standard re- quired for surface preparation can be achieved as well as for safety reasons. Hence flexible ventilation trunking should be used to enable the point of extraction to be close to the blaster. The curing of most tank coatings also requires proper ventilation. This is to ensure that all solvents are removed coating performance. Some companies recommend up to ten air changes per hour during the drying period for sys- tems containing organic solvents. Venti- lation is normally maintained for 48 hours after the application of the last coat of the system. Nowadays, solvent- free systems which help to reduce the level of ventilation required are avail- able. Besides being an aid to blasting and paint film curing, ventilation is also nec- essary for the health and safety of per- sonnel working inside the tank. As such, the ventilation system should be arranged such that there are no ‘dead spaces’ inside the tank. Ventilation should be maintained during applica- tion, The vapour concentration in the tank should not exceed 10% of the lower explosive limit or less in order to pre- vent any danger of fire hazard. To minimize the possibility of dry spray, a lower level of ventilation is sometimes required during paint appli- cation. This could be as low as 2 air changes per hour. However, this must always be balanced with the painting rate to ensure that the solvent vapour content inside the tank is well below the 10% lower explosive limit The ventilation equipment should be electrically safe and should not re- introduce abrasive dust, solvent va- pours, ete. into the tank. This could be done by maintaining a positive pressure above the normal atmospheric pressure inside the tank. from the freshly applied coating system Lighting prior to commissioning the tank. Sol vent retention as a result of inadequate ventilation will result in impaired tank 26 Adequate lighting is required to enable the blaster to see the standardSome Considerations of Tank Coatings for Quality Preservation of Palm Oil during the blasting and for proper paint application. The lighting should also be electrically safe. Ideally the lighting should be a powerful mains supplied spotlight with background lighting on at all times for safety. A powerful main spotlight is essential for “inspection work. ) Gritblasting Requirements In general, two main standards of ‘surface preparation are normally quoted for tank coatings namely Swedish Standard SIS 05 5900 Sa 2 and Sa 3. In practice, Sa 2 is considered the best standard that a skilled blaster can achieve consistently. The possibility of achieving a uniform standard of Sa 3 throughout the tank is remote. A realis- tic achievement is somewhere between. Sa 2 and Sa 3. In cases where the substrate is heavily corroded or pitted, fresh water washing of the areas after abrasive blasting may be necessary. This is fol- lowed by reblasting in order to reduce the level of soluble corrosion products. To ensure that the specified blasting standard is achieved, the following points should be considered: i) Compressed air The pressure of the air used should be at least 7 kg/sq. cm (100 psi) at the nozzle. This will give a more effective blasting rate. Rust scales, corrosion salts and old paint can be more effectively removed. This will ensure that the specified standard can be achieved. The air used for 27 the blasting should be clean, oil-free and dry, otherwise the standard will not be achieved. it) Abrasive/Blast Profile ‘The type and grade of abrasive used should be appropriate for the substrate and the profile required. Generally, for a heavy duty thick film tank coating eg. glassflake or GRP laminate, a coarser profile is preferred, normally between 75-125 microns. This will provide the good ‘mechanical key’ for adhesion of the thick film coating. For thinner film type of tank coating e.g. the stand- ard epoxy tank lining, a profile of be- tween 50-75 microns is normally rec- ommended. 8/30 mesh grit would normally achieve 75-125 microns while 16/30 mesh grit would nor- mally achieve 50-75 microns. On-site measurement should be carried out using profile gauges or other instru- ments agreed to by all relevant par- ties. The abrasive used for blasting should be dry and free from dirt, oil, grease or other contaminants. It should not have a water soluble matter content exceeding 0.05%. Iron or steel abrasives are not rec- ommended for in situ open blasting. Recycled grit is not recommended, but if it is to be used, it must be correctly graded, dried and free from dirt, oil, grease, organics and have a water soluble matter content not exceeding 0.05%.PORIM Bulletin 29 iii) Cleaning Grit inclusion in the coating system can cause potential problems. Hence it is important that the sur- face to be coated must be free of grit and dust prior to painting. Before the start of the inspection af- ter blasting, the bulk of the grit must be removed. Upon inspection, any substandard areas are then identified and brought to the speci- fied standard. All marking paint, chalk etc. used for identifying the substandard areas are also removed at the same time. Upon provisional approval of the blast standard, all remaining traces of grit and dust must be removed from all areas including scaf- foldings, underside of lowered float- ing roofs, support beams etc. by using industrial vacuum cleaners fit- ted with brushes. Final approval of the substrate for application is con- firmed after the final cleaning. Once the tank has been blasted and at any stage during the paint applica tion process, the surfaces should be kept in a clean condition. Mats for wiping feet should be placed at the entrance of tanks and the area im- mediately surrounding them must be kept in a clean condition h = Application Coating of Coating/Stripe All paints should be applied by air- less spray except for stripe coats where 28 brush or roller should in general be used. For complete homogenizing of the paint system's base and curing agent, efficient mechanical stirrers should be used. Mixing of a paint with a stick may result in a non-homogeneous mixture. This can cause ‘soft spots’ to develop in the paint film where the mix ratios are incorrect. Chemical resistance of the coating system would then be adversely affected. The air pressure and capacity for the spray equipment should be at least 5.5 kg/sq. cm and 1.4 cubic meter/min. (80 psi and 50 CFM). This is to ensure that no fingering will occur. Insufficient capacity can cause the airless spray equipment to pulsate between sufficient and insufficient output pressure, result- ing in opening and collapsing of the spray fan. It is recommended that pump compression ratio of 40:1 or greater should be used. The airless spray ma- chine must be in good working condi- tion and spray tips should not be worn. The application equipment should be protected against adverse weather conditions during operation and mixing of materials. Weather shelter should also be erected around the tank en- trance. Stripe coatings in tanks are essential where the airless spray is not so effec- tive. These include plate edges, welds, areas of difficult access, ladders and handrails, small fittings of awkward shapes and areas of pitting. In general, stripe coats should be applied by brush or roller depending on the item con- cerned. The application of a stripe coat by a narrow angle spray may be accept able under exceptional conditions.‘Some Considerations of Tank Coatings for Quality Preservation of Palm Oil i) Quality through Inspection Imposition of a strict quality stand- ard on blasting and coating operations will ensure a successful application of the tank coating, thereby ensuring it’s subsequent performance. Inspections should be carried out at all stages in the lining program and an inspection sched- ule should be agreed upon before com- mencement of the contract. Listed be- low is an example of an inspection schedule: Schedule i) Precontract i) Surface preparation iii) Lining application iv) Installed lining v) Environment control (throughout contract) Inspection Procedure Steel condition: For new tanks, decision on the extent of steel work prepara- tion to be carried out. For old tanks, decision on whether any steel plates need changing, welding or filing. Assessment of the extent of primary and secondary surface preparation to be carried out. Assessment of the level of sur- face contamination and the blast standard, Determination of wet film thickness and volumetric material control to ensure a more even distribution of the film thick- ness. Dry film thickness checks and random detection to detect areas of low film thickness and pinholing. Such areas to be built up to standard. Assessment of cure before putting lin- ing into service. Measurement of relative humidity, steel tempera- tures and dew point before any paint applications. Note that failure to conduct thor- ough inspection work could lead to se- vere coating failures. TYPES OF TANK COATINGS Having considered the require ments for tank coatings as well as the aspects related to the surface prepara- tion and coating application, what are the coatings that can be used for palm oil and palm oil storage tanks? In general, there are two common types of coatings in the market that may cee be and are currently being used for coating palm oil storage tanks. These are: a) epoxy coatings b) epoxy phenolic coatings In the past, a lot of polyurethane coatings were used due to its strength and ability to withstand higher tempera- tures when compared to the epoxy or epoxy phenolic formulated coatings. However, with the advances made in recent years in the field of epoxy andPORIM Bulletin 29 phenolic epoxy coatings, these two coating types are slowly but surely re- placing polyurethane as the coatings for edible food container. Zinc silicates could be used for storage of vegetable oils where the free fatty acid contents are low (such as rbd oils) but are not recommended for oils with higher free fatty acid contents such as crude palm oil. To date no real satisfactory coating has been found for palm fatty acid dis- tillate (pfad) tanks due to its corrosive- ness and the high storage temperature. Stainless steel remains the best solution albeit at a cost. Glass flake reinforced epoxy coating may be a possible candi- date for this job. Due to the commercial secrecy be- hind the formulation of a complete coat- ing system, it is difficult to ascertain which coating or coating type(s) is/are suitable for palm oil and palm oil prod- ucts. The above guidelines will enable users to seek the relevant information from the coating companies or suppli- ers concerned during the tendering phase. However, it must be stated that these guidelines are, by no means, com- plete. CONCLUSION From the above considerations, it can be seen that the need for tank coat- ings for crude palm oil storage tanks cannot be underestimated. It is a well established fact today that the ultimate keeping quality of a refined oil depends totally on the quality of the starting crude oil. Every effort is now expended to produce a good crude palm oil. It would be a complete waste of effort if 30 the quality of the good crude, so pains- takingly produced, is compromised dur- ing the final storage and handling stages. An internal tank coating, stain- less steel heating coils, proper tempera- ture control equipment and a sensible heating programme (preferably with hot water or low pressure steam) are the requirements. In this paper, the reasons for tank coatings have been discussed in rela- tion to oil quality as well as their prop- erties and application requirements. This information will be useful and should be considered by tank owners prior to and during the selection of tank coatings and their suppliers and or ap- plicators. If all sectors of the palm oil industry contribute to the common good of the industry, then it may be possible to have a true quality assur- ance scheme for the palm oil buyers overseas. REFERENCES Bek. Nielsen, B (1978). ‘Technical As- pects of Marketing Quality Palm Oil’, Proceedings of a Seminar on Market Development og Palm Oil Products, TTC UNCTAD/GATT., 27 March-1 April 1978, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Chong, C L; Ong, $ H; Roziyah, A; Joriah, P and Wan Rosli, W 0. PORIM Report No PO(125)87. Meow, E (1989). ‘Critical issues which can affect the proper application and performance of tank linings’, Interna- tional Paints presentation, Hotel Saujana.