Looking for information on ethanol plants

[mdcook]

It has just been announced that my county, along with a neighboring county that my team covers, are going to get corn to ethanol plants. Besides the end products of CO2 and ethanol, does any one know what other hazardous materials we might have to deal with?

[kd7fds]

I believe they have to have a small amount of gasoline onsite to denature the ethanol with.

We have one going in near us, but the only thing I have heard for sure, is that plant is buying several hundred gallons of alcohol resistent foam for fire department use. My understanding is that the foam will be stored onsite.

Unless you are more equipped than we were, your department doesn't own near enough class b foam to handle a fire at a plant like that.

[mdcook]

Reply to my request

Thank you kd7fds.
My county has access to 500 gallons of foam concentrate at the local landfill. They have a tire shredding plant on site and their insurance company required the stock pile. The down side is that it is about a 20 minute drive from where the plant will be built.
It has been discussed that we should increase our own foam concentrate stock pile. There is county property and the local F.D. near where the plant will be built. We do not want to store it on site in case there is an incident, we might not be able to nor want to get on the plant.

[THEFIRENUT]

mdcook, you might want to look at the MSDS sheet. Its shows hazards and special characteristics of ethanol. Here is a link.

http://www.distill.com/materialsafety/msds-usa.html

[kd7fds]

Yeah, I should have been a little more clear.

The ethanol plant, in this case, is building a small building seperate from the main structure. It will be about 100yds away and have their on-site emergency equipment and the foam concentrate.