TOFA storage, handling and transport: temperature, tank material and shelf life

TOFA is stored at 20-40 °C in closed containers, preferably in carbon or stainless steel tanks, protected from direct sunlight and moisture. Shelf life is 12 months and can be extended to 24 months with quality control testing. Shipment is bulk liquid in ISO tank containers.

At what temperature and in what container is TOFA stored?

The storage condition is defined per grade and is practically the same for both TOFA grades. For TOFA 180 the product data states storage at 20-40 °C in closed tanks, avoiding direct sunlight and low-humidity environments. For TOFA 185 it states storage at 20-40 °C in closed containers, avoiding direct sunlight and moisture.

The lower end of the range is about flow, the upper end about not exposing the product to unnecessary thermal load. A warehouse below the range creates pumping and pipeline problems during transfer; one above it creates risk on colour and oxidation. The closed-container requirement applies in both cases and is a defined storage condition, not a suggestion.

Why must the tank be carbon or stainless steel?

For both TOFA grades the preferred tank material is carbon steel or stainless steel, and shipment is made as bulk liquid in tanks of those materials. The choice is not arbitrary: a fatty acid carries high free acidity and contact with an incompatible metal affects both the product and the tank. When commissioning a new storage tank, confirm material suitability from the product's Safety Data Sheet and run the same check for the transfer line and gasket materials.

Material compatibility is also stated on the documents for other items in the family. For hardwood CTO and Ecophalt (Tall Oil Pitch), the product data explicitly notes compatibility with carbon steel. Lines like these are the ones to verify before investing in a tank.

How do you manage moisture and oxidation risk in the warehouse?

TOFA contains unsaturated fatty acids: the iodine value is defined as min 150 in both grades (ASTM D5768), and that unsaturation is the source both of the reactivity you want in the formulation and of the oxidation you do not want in storage. Storage practice is built around managing that duality:

• Keep containers and tanks tightly closed; a container left open means both moisture and air ingress.
• Protect from direct sunlight; this item appears explicitly in the defined condition for both grades.
• Protect from moisture. Water entering the product distorts both the analytical result and the stoichiometry of the formulation.
• Hold the temperature inside the defined 20-40 °C range and keep the warehouse away from heat sources.
• Do not mix different grades or different lots in the same tank; after mixing, no CoA represents the delivered product.

When shelf life expires, is the product discarded or retested?

For TOFA 180 and TOFA 185 shelf life is 12 months and can be extended to 24 months with quality control testing. The wording matters: the extension is made by testing, not by the calendar. In practice that requires the following flow in stock management:

1. Tie each lot's production date and CoA to the stock record; the shelf life clock runs from the production date, not the shipment date.
2. Plan a retest for lots approaching 12 months: acid value (ASTM D1980), rosin acid content (ASTM D1240), unsaponifiables (ASTM D1065) and appearance.
3. If the results sit inside the specification limits, extend use and record the test; if they sit outside, do not release the product to production.
4. Put the extension decision in writing; "it still looked fine" is not evidence in an audit.

For some items in the family the basis for extension is stated in the product data itself: hardwood CTO has a shelf life of 1 year, extendable to 2 years with internal control against the CoA and the product data sheet, and Ecophalt has 1 year extendable to 2 with internal control. For softwood CTO and the DTO grades shelf life is defined as 12 months from the production date. Crude sulfate turpentine (CST) has the shortest in the family: 6 months from the production date.

Shipment and packaging: in what format does the product arrive?

TOFA ships as bulk liquid and has no drum format. Packaging capacity differs by grade, so warehouse and discharge planning has to follow it. For other products in the family, IBC and drum options come into play:

The operational consequence: for TOFA, tank capacity and discharge line planning is enough, while on the CTO side both drum and IBC handling and the recommended 40-70 °C storage temperature for pumpability come into play. Ecophalt ships in a coiled heated ISO tank container and therefore needs a separate discharge procedure on site.

Which documents should you expect at delivery?

On the storage and handling side the document chain has three items, and all three are needed for both a QHSE audit and stock management:

• Turkish Safety Data Sheet (SDS): the formal source for hazard classification, handling, storage and transport.
• Certificate of analysis (CoA) per lot: the document your shelf life clock and any retest decision rests on.
• KKDIK registration (Türkiye): in place for the tall oil products KORKİMYA supplies.

Requesting the documents at the sample stage lets you prepare storage and handling conditions before the product arrives. Tank material, temperature control and the discharge line are not questions to settle when the first shipment is already at the gate.