Date: October 9, 2018
Location: Farmsum, Groningen (the Netherlands)
Address: Kloosterlaan 11-13, 9936
Type: Dust Explosion
Fuel: Silicon Carbide
Industry: Chemical Processing
Equipment: No Details
Company: ESD-SIC
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company website, ESD-SIC is an independent subsidiary of the German company REF-Processing GmbH. It produces high-grade silicon carbide at its Delfzijl facility for a variety of sustainable applications. ESD-SIC has had its headquarters in Delfzijl since 1973 and employs approximately 100 people.
Incident Description:
On October 9, 2018, Dagblad Noorden reported a dust explosion at a chemical plant in Farmsum, the Netherlands. According to the company, it was this year’s thirty-first ‘flare-up’. One of its directors admitted that the event rated four out of five on a scale that the company uses to measure such incidents.
The chemical company has invested heavily this year in the production of silicon carbide, a raw material for abrasives. After the plant was cleared, representatives surveyed the area to see how far the dust had spread around in the neighbourhood around the plant.
No injuries were reported and the extent of any property damage is unknown.
Sources:
Dagblad Noorden
