To eliminate the possibility of chemical powders cross contaminating and subsequently corroding its supplies, chemicals, plastics, packaging materials and mining and construction products distributor The CHC Group South Africa (SA) recently installed precast concrete infrastructure products company Rocla’s Alfabloc system.

The CHC Group SA points out that storing bulk supplies of inorganic chemicals in powder form can be problematic as there is a risk of cross-contamination of compounds resulting in the corrosion of substrates. The group believes this can be alleviated with protective partitions, which is why it contracted Rocla to supply 50 Alfablocs in total.

Each Alfabloc is 1.2 m long, 760 mm wide and 2.44 m high.

“As a chemicals sales and distribution operation, we require bulk storage facilities for our inorganic chemical powders. Cross-contamination in our storage facilities is always a risk that must be adequately managed,” explains CHC resources GM Amith Lalchund, adding that Rocla was requested to propose a suitable solution with its Alfabloc system.

“What impressed us was the ease and speed of installation, as uptime is a key factor in our operations. The complete Alfabloc system that we invested in was installed in about one week. It is an extremely durable system which offered us the necessary protection to avoid substrate corrosion that could result from the cross- contamination of chemical powders,” he says.

The Alfabloc is a freestanding A-frame system with interlocking blocks and no protruding toe, which allows for easy loading, cleaning and unloading. The inner cavity that results from the A-frame design can be used for the secure placement of electrical cabling for lighting, closed- circuit television alarms or any other wiring requirements.

The storage requirement determines whether the blocks should be placed onto natural ground or a concrete surface bed, or bolted onto a suitable foundation with chemical anchors.

Rocla’s Alfabloc is available in three height options, including 1.2 m, 2.4 m and 3 m, thereby offering the market a range of storage capacities. The mini-Alfabloc – at 1.2 m high – has also been successful at offering a quick flexible option in terms of storage requirements.

Excluding projects where the blocks are anchored to a foundation, all other installations can be temporary, allowing for the client to move premises and take their Alfablocs with them.

Meanwhile, Rocla has used the Alfabloc system at its river sand bunker of its manufacturing plant in Polokwane. The Port of Durban also erected 22 mini-Alfablocs as a temporary security measure for crowd control, while a Durban-based logistics company used the large Alfablocs for its manganese stockpile facility.

The mini-Alfabloc has also been found suitable for applications that keep pedestrians away from railway lines and to keep wildlife and farm animals safe from moving trains.

Rocla is part of the IS Group, which also comprises Technicrete and Oconbrick.