Chemical Bund Secondary Containment Lining

The challenge

A concrete bund wall stands around a chemical storage tank as the last line of defense, the structure that has to hold the product if the tank ever lets go. Over time the concrete cracked and the surface degraded, and a bund that has cracked through can no longer be trusted to contain a spill. Chemical that finds those cracks works deeper into the concrete and tracks toward the ground beneath the bund, which turns a containment structure into a path to the soil and groundwater. Until the wall holds again, the tank sits over a containment that cannot do its job.

Our approach

We start by mapping the cracking and the degraded concrete so we know how far the damage runs and what the bund is holding. We break out the unsound concrete back to a solid base, then rebuild the wall and floor profile with a cold-applied repair mortar so the structure is sound and shaped to take a lining. Over the rebuilt concrete we apply a chemical-resistant containment membrane keyed to the product in the tank, carrying it across the floor, up the wall, and into the corners and penetrations as one continuous barrier. The finished bund is a sealed surface that can hold a spill rather than let it through.

1. Assess and mapWe survey the bund to map the cracking and degraded concrete and confirm the product in the tank so the lining is keyed correctly.
2. Remove unsound concreteWe break out cracked and degraded concrete back to a solid base and clean the surface so the repair bonds.
3. Rebuild the profileWe rebuild the wall and floor with a cold-applied repair mortar to return a sound, shaped substrate ready for lining.
4. Line for containmentWe apply a chemical-resistant containment membrane across the floor, up the wall, and into the corners and penetrations as one continuous barrier.
5. Inspect and return to serviceWe check the lining for continuity and hand the bund back able to contain a spill again.