1993
Concrete secondary containment constructed. 

1996  
The site experienced a major fire in the process plant building.  However, due to the strong wind, the Fire Brigade could not use water to put the fire out and it was left to burn itself out.  The fire impacted the main plant building, which was subsequently re-built. 

 A concrete area to the southwest of the manufacturing area was constructed to provide for impervious dry waste container storage, which were previously stored on compacted clay. The compacted clay was removed prior to laying the concrete and there was reported to be no evidence of any staining or contamination of the underlying soils.

The main tank farm bund walls were rebuilt to remove a brick wall and replaced with tied-in concrete walls. 

The oil water separator pit was expanded from four to eight chambers (trebling the total volume) and shut-off valves were added.

Two cooling towers are located to the south of the main plant building. These were changed to closed-loop systems in 1996.  Prior to this, the cooling water mixed with process effluent and overflowed to the oil/water separator. 

 1997
Hot melt Polyamide capability established.  Concrete containment was also added in the truck delivery area to the northeast of the main plant building. 

1998
Firewater containment was added to the site and the boilers (which originally used diesel as fuel) were converted to natural gas (retaining dual fuel capability to cover periods of gas interruption). 

1999      
Warehouse 3 was constructed

2004
A new quality laboratory was constructed and the laboratories, laboratory stores and amenity building to the south and east of the main process building were subsequently demolished. This also involved the removal and disposal of some asbestos containing material offsite. A new concrete roadway and turning circle was constructed in the south operational area of the site. The drumming facility for curing agents in Building 9 was also constructed. Previously this was conducted on the ground floor of Building 8. 

2008
Plan production ceased at the end of October 2008

Plant produces 10,000 to 15,000 tons per year of a range of polyamides

Site Facilities:

The installation consists of one main plant building of brick and steel construction with metal facing.  There are three small warehouses adjacent to the north and north east of the main production building that were used for related activities, including raw materials and chemical storage.  Drummed product and raw materials were stored in an external concrete storage area to the west of the main facility.  There is also a bunded tank farm located to the north-east of the main process building that was used for the storage of bulk raw materials and manufactured product. A single office building is located along with an analytical laboratory to the north-west of the site adjacent to the site entrance, whilst a boiler house and workshop area is located to the south of the site. A wastewater /oil separator is located to the south-east of the main plant building.  Parking areas and roads are comcreted throughout facility, and the undeveloped land remains vacant.

The site manufactured non-reactive polyamides, reactive polyamides, esters of fatty acids / dimer acids / di-acids, rosin derivatives and amidoamines.  Within each product group there are many product grades including pure liquid products, solvent based products and solid products (granules and pellets).

The products were made by one of two routes:

a) Condensation Reaction

The condensation reaction of amines and/or alcohols with a fatty acid, and/or an organic acid and/or an acid anhydride

b) Rosin Products

The majority of rosin was delivered on site in bulk and converted into pellets using a Sandvik rotaformer.  Some rosin was fumarized or esterfied using condensation reactions.

The reactions were carried out in one of three batch reactors which fed to a common downstream processing facilities blend tank, resin hold tank, storage tanks, pelletizing belt and ancillary equipment.

Click Here to view a Brief Process Description

Click Here to view the System Overview Drawing

Click Here to view the Plant Layout Drawing

Below, Please Find a Brief List of Equipment:

Tank farm:

• (2) 25,000 ltr. tanks
• (8) 35,000 ltr. tanks

Production building:

• (2) 18,300 ltr 316 s/steel reactor, dished top and bottom, Internal pressure 50psig @ 300°C, Jacket 75psig @ 300°C, Internal coil 75psig @ 300°C, Plenty mixer agitator drive, driven by 18.5kW, 3/50/415 volt, 1,460 rpm motor via 14.1:1 ratio gearbox with variable speed inverter control, double mechanical seal. bottom outlet with hydraulic driven discharge valve via power pack, Design code BS1515 Pt.2
  
•  (1) 10,500 ltr 316 SS reactor, dished top and bottom, Internal pressure 50psig @ 300°C, s/steel  Jacket 75psig @ 300°C; Internal SS coil 75psig @ 300°C, Agitator driven by 7.5kW, 3/50/415 volt 1,460 rpm motor via David Brown/Opperman Master 21:1 ratio gearbox,  double mechanical seal. bottom outlet with hydraulic driven discharge  valve via a power pack, Design code BS1515 Pt.2
   
• (5) feed tanks
  • (2) 2,000 ltr
  • (2) 5,000 ltr 
  • (1) 10,000 ltr
     
• (1) 12,000 ltr resin holding tank
  
• (2) 30,000 ltr blending tanks
   
• (1) 13,227 lbs/hr (6,000 kg/hr) Hot oil boiler: Contrapol  350-5 HHCLT heater. Dunphy dual fuel burner Rated 6,000kg/hr F&A 100ºC, max working pressure 200psi, built 1994
   
• (1)  1.5m wide x 22.5m long Sandvik SS belt flaker, with dropformer unit. feed temp 200°C, discharge temp 30-40°C, water cooled (dedicated. cooling tower), brass discharge knife, discharge shaker w/ under/over size removal. CS support frame, (3) centrifugal pumps, Russell finex inline filter
   
• (1) Black Clawson Underwater pelletizer system including: cooler (shell and tube), Pelletizer die plate (360 holes), rotary knife, vibratory sieve, (4) filters, Pump, Gala spin dryer, slurry base tank, control panel, slurry pump, pellet blower
  
• Heat exchangers, pumps, small tanks, packed columns etc

Packaging:

• (1) Concetti Robotic double pallet sack stacking system up to 500kg pallets (max. (1) ton, type IGF 300, built 1999
  
• (1) Concetti 500kg bag filling system, filling via (10) X 50kg hopper fills
  
• (1) Concetti 25kg open mouth paper sack filling system, Doboy bag closing / sealing
  equipment
  
• (1) Chronos Richardson 25kg open mouth paper sack filling system, Doboy bag closing / sealing equipment