This project aims to carry out an industrial research in collaboration with a container transfer terminal for dangerous goods, in a sustainable and innovative way. This research meets the requirements of industrial safety, security, quality and environmental regulations established at European and international level, providing innovation in the mechanical components, information and communication technologies (ICTs) and other elements necessary for its operation.
The consortium of the project is constituted by several organisations: IMEDES, JOFESA, LITEBI, FITOTRANS and AITEC. A pilot experience to validate the model of introducing inland terminals for chemicals and dangerous goods was carried on at Gijón (Spain) and it showed a reduction of 10% of dangerous waste between other benefits.
This project was carried out during years 2009 to 2011.
1. Provide the final users with a service for the transfer of containers with hazardous substances suitable to their needs:
- Defining the safety and security technical requirements for transferring dangerous goods containers, taking into account the study of the state of art as well as European legal compliance, the guidelines of good practices developed by the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) in this area and as well as the specific safety requirements of customers in the chemical sector.
- Defining of the key parameters or criteria for a proper decision-making process in the field of safety and security. These criteria are determined on the basis specific Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA) for the operations of a container terminal for hazardous chemicals. QRA modelling is carried out on the basis of HAZOP (Hazard and Operability) methodology and Fault Tree Analyses (FTA). A conclusion of this analysis was that consequences of an accident or a terrorist attack could be reduced 80% in case of an appropriate location, connection and design of inland terminals for containers with dangerous goods.
- Determination of the specific weights quantifying the influence degree of these key parameters on the decision-making process allowing the selection of the most appropriate alternatives fulfilling legal and customers' requirements in terms of safety, security, environment and cost efficiency.
2. Reduce the environmental impact of handling and storing dangerous goods containers to optimal levels by means of:
- Global study of the environmental regulations in relation to terminals storing and handling dangerous goods containers.
- Definition of the applicable environmental legislation (e.g. Licenses, Registries, New Law of Environmental Responsibility, UNE EN 150008: 2008) to dangerous goods.
- Analysis of the compatibility of the extension of the license to this new activity with the environmental mechanisms provided by local Authorities.
3. To take advantage of the market opportunity offered by this activity in Spain and Europe, generating employment and benefits by means of:
- Designing operations of dangerous goods containers transfer based on security, safety and environmental reducing the distances of the containers deliveries and therefore in the atmospheric emissions as it is encouraged in the White Paper of Transport.
- Avoiding the use of non-hazardous container terminals to store containers with undeclared dangerous good, reducing the potential risks of accidents.
4. Positioning AITEC as a reference center at an international level for the innovation and sustainability of terminals of containers:
- Contributing to the R&D within the logistics and freight transport sector.
- Increasing the competitiveness of the Valencian and Spanish logistics industry and, in a subsidiary way, of the chemical industry, providing innovative solutions for the transfer of dangerous goods.
TERMITRANS provides researchers, designers, managers and other public and private stakeholders with criteria, from a total safety management point of view, to be considered in the design of terminals for containers with chemicals and dangerous goods from the earliest stages of the project and also to adapt existent facilities.
Project manager in AITEC: Francisco Santarremigia, Ph.D.
E-mail:
Phone: (+34) 96 136 69 69
