INFORM April 2026

PLANT SAFETY INFORM 25

diameter means that isolation devices would be expensive to install. Another way that oilseed processing facilities can decrease the risks presented by combustible dust is by adding explosion protection to their dust collectors. A common form of explosion protection seen in outdoor dust collectors is a special panel known as an explosion burst panel that is designed to blow outward and direct the explosion away, so it does not travel backward down the duct to the dust source. Burst panels are a good option for outdoor dust collectors, but systems that

are indoors do not have that option. Facilities with indoor dust collectors can instead use explosion suppression devices. This is a specialized type of fire extinguisher in the top of a dust collector that is designed to immediately stop dust combustion. A typical explosion suppressor would detect the sudden pressure increase from a dust explosion and blow sodium bicarbonate into the dust collector in a matter of milliseconds, stopping the explosion. A SAFER FUTURE Oilseed processing facilities are steadily working to adopt the standards outlined in NFPA 660. As plants make

improvements in their equipment and procedures, the risk of a combustible dust incident is likely to decrease. With a better handle on how to mitigate risk and properly designed EAP and process safety plans, oilseed processing facilities can continue to improve safety while providing materials for a wide range of industries. For hyperlinks to references visit inform.aocs.org George Hale is a freelance science and technology writer based in Pearland, Texas. He can be contacted at halegr@gmail.com.

AOCS EVENTS WATCH May 3-6, 2026. AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo, New Orleans, Louisiana. Visit annualmeeting.aocs.org for more information. MEMBER EXCLUSIVE EVENTS INFORM Seminars New episodes are available on the third Wednesday of the month at 8 a.m. CST (Chicago, USA; UTC-06). PRO, April 15, 2026 Soybean extraction using 2-methyloxolane versus hexane with Julie Ducreux, process and engineering manager at Ecoxtract. ANA, May 20, 2026 Analytical techniques for discovering new lipids from unique sources with Siddabasave Gowda, associate professor at Hokkaido University. Check for updates in upcoming issues of INFORM, at aocs.org, or contact us at general@aocs.org, +1 217-359-2344.