Hazards and safety issues associated to the residual solid content in crude edible oil processing

The present work focuses on the hazards connected with edible oil refining during process and maintenance operations. A specific experimental protocol was set up in order to verify the possibility of having fire hazards connected with the unwanted residual solids which might accumulate on the bottom of storage tanks, due to sedimentation, or in process equipment, due to progressive fouling. The analysis of residual solid samples taken from an actual edible oil refinery allowed evaluating the possible formation of flammable mixtures or products during maintenance operations. Specific hazard indexes were defined in order to analyse two case studies which provided indications for the safety enhancement of process and maintenance operations.