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 The
United States. has approximately
8.5 million regulated and non-regulated aboveground storage tanks
(ASTs) and underground storage tanks (USTs) for hazardous materials
(HAZMAT). While these tanks represent a large investment and good
maintenance practices would be in the best interest of the owners,
Federal and State environmental regulators are concerned with
the environmental impact of spills from leaking tanks. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency set a December 1998 deadline for
UST owners to comply with requirements for corrosion control on
all tanks, as well as overfill and spill protection. In case of
non-compliance, tank owners face considerable costs related to
clean up and penalties. The total annual direct cost of corrosion
for HAZMAT storage is $7.0 billion, divided between $4.5 billion
for ASTs and $2.5 billion for USTs.
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The total cost of corrosion for storage tanks
is $7.0 billion per year (ASTs and USTs). The cost of corrosion
for all ASTs was estimated at $4.5 billion per year. A vast majority
of the ASTs are externally painted, which is a major cost factor
for the total cost of corrosion. In addition, approximately one-third
of ASTs have cathodic protection (CP) on the tank bottom, while
approximately one-tenth of ASTs have internal linings. These last
two corrosion protection methods are applied to ensure the long-term
structural integrity of the ASTs.
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