Safety evaluation of different acids in high-density polyethylene container loading

Abstract

To reduce costs, high-purity chemical suppliers wash and reuse HDPE containers collected from users. To determine the lifetime of a container, the appearance of that container and the manufacturer's recommendations for its lifetime are generally considered. Guidelines for determining the lifetime of an HDPE container have not been clearly defined. The lack of these specifications may result in the leakage of high-purity chemicals in the storage, transportation and use of HDPE containers. To understand the effects of using high-purity chemicals (sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3)) on HDPE, this study revealed its effects by mechanical and thermal performance tests. According to the mechanical properties test results, the ductility and tensile strength of HDPE soaked H2SO4 and HNO3 decreased. HDPE immersed in HNO3 exhibited the lowest thermal stability by thermal performance testing. In summary, the degradation of HDPE is affected by storage conditions. For this study, HDPE only needs 60 days of immersion in HNO3, and its ductility and tensile strength will decline obviously. This study shows that when these containers are used for long-term storage of high purity chemicals, the mechanical properties (including ductility, ductility, and tensile strength) of HDPE containers tend to decrease. To decrease accidental leakage of chemicals due to aging of HDPE, comprehensive and approved regulations should be established for the loading, transport, and storage of HDPE containers.