Epoxy Resins Bunds

What Is Epoxy Resin?

Types of Epoxy Resin Bund Systems

• Solvent-free epoxy: the modern default for most bund lining work, with no VOC and good build per coat.
• High-solids epoxy: slightly thicker per coat than solvent-free, used where film build at moderate thickness is the priority.
• Water-based epoxy: for light-duty applications and environments where solvent and VOC restrictions rule out other systems.
• Phenolic-modified epoxy: uprated chemical resistance, particularly for hot water and dilute solvent service, sitting between standard epoxy and novolac.
• Self-smoothing and self-levelling epoxy: pourable formulations used as substrate levelling layers and as low-build floor finishes.
• Trowel-applied epoxy mortar: heavily filled, high-build systems used for screeds, repairs and heavy-duty bund flooring.
• 100% solids epoxy: premium chemistry with full reactive content, used where the highest film integrity and chemical performance are needed.
• Novalac epoxy: premium chemistry in epoxy resins, uprated for hot acid, hot solvent and elevated-temperature service that standard epoxy resin lining cannot reliably hold.

Epoxy Resin Bund Key Features

Epoxy Resin Bund Applications

• Oil, Gas and Petrochemical: fuel storage bunds, plant rooms, tanker offload areas and lubricant stores, where reliable hydrocarbon resistance is the design case.
• Power Generation and Transmission: transformer bunds, generator compounds, plant rooms and standby fuel storage across DNO, transmission and renewables sites.
• Food & Beverage: production floor bunds, ingredient stores and CIP areas, with hygienic topcoats specified for daily wash-down.
• Chemical Processing: utility and ancillary bunds, dosing skids and reagent stores where chemistry sits within the epoxy envelope.
• Sewage and Waste Water Treatment: reagent stores, plant rooms and lower-risk treatment plant bunds outside the most aggressive BSA zones.
• Agriculture & Aquaculture: fertiliser bunds, fuel oil compounds and routine farm assets where chemistry is moderate.
• Nuclear Facilities: qualified, BS 4247-compliant epoxy systems on active-area floors, support areas and inactive bunds.

Epoxy Resin Bund Chemical Resistance Profile

Epoxy Resin resists well against:

• Hydrocarbons. Diesel, kerosene, lube oils, fuel oils and most lubricants
• Dilute mineral acids up to roughly 10–30% concentration depending on the system
• Dilute alkalis and most caustic chemistry at moderate strength
• Water, brine and most aqueous salt solutions
• Light hydrocarbon solvents and refined oil products

Epoxy Resin has limitations against:

• Concentrated mineral acids above ~50%, particularly nitric and sulphuric, where vinyl ester or novolac is the better answer
• Strong oxidising chemistry, including hypochlorites at concentration and hot peroxyacetic acid
• Polar solvents at concentration dichloromethane like DMF and acetone which soften and dissolve standard epoxies
• Hot caustic, where elevated temperature combines with alkali attack
• Hydrofluoric acid, where rubber bunding or carbon-filled vinyl ester laminates are specified instead

Epoxy Resin Bunds Build Up Methods

Epoxy Resin Bunds Surface Preparation Requirements

• Air temperature: typically 10–25°C, with cold-cure formulations available for work down to 5°C.
• Substrate temperature: at least 3°C above dew point, monitored continuously across the working day.
• Relative humidity: usually below 85%, with moisture-tolerant systems available for damper conditions.
• Pot life: typically 30–60 minutes once mixed, shortening rapidly in warm conditions.
• Recoat window: 8–24 hours between coats depending on the system; missed windows require mechanical keying.
• Cure time: walk-on hardness typically 12–24 hours, full chemical cure 5–7 days.
• Application equipment: brush and roller for small areas, airless spray for larger floors and walls, trowel for mortar systems.
• Mixing discipline: exact ratio mixing, mechanical agitation and clean equipment, with side-and-bottom scraping to ensure full incorporation of the curing agent.

Epoxy Resin Bunds Advantages and Limitations

Advantages

• The most application-flexible chemistry in the bund lining range, suitable for coatings, mortars, screeds and repairs
• Reliable, predictable performance across most general industrial chemistry
• Excellent adhesion to concrete and steel substrates
• Sound mechanical strength, hardness and wear resistance
• Wide market availability, easy specification and straightforward sourcing
• Cost-effective across whole-life, with 15–25 year service life on most duties
• Straightforward to repair and overcoat using compatible epoxy systems

Limitations

• Rigid once cured, with limited crack-bridging across moving substrates
• UV exposure causes chalking and colour fade, though performance generally holds — UV-stable polyurethane topcoats are specified for external duty
• Limited resistance to concentrated acids, oxidisers and polar solvents at high concentration
• Service temperature ceiling lower than novolac epoxy; not the right chemistry for hot acid or hot solvent duty
• Sensitive to moisture and temperature during application — outside the working envelope, cure is compromised
• Pot life can be short in warm conditions, limiting the workable window per batch

How Epoxy Resin Bunds Compare to Other Systems

• Versus Polyurethane Resins — epoxy is harder and more chemically resistant; polyurethane is more flexible, more UV stable and better at thermal cycling. We often pair them, with an epoxy body coat and a polyurethane topcoat, to combine both.
• Versus Polyurea Resins — epoxy is conventional cure with a multi-coat build, slower but more cost-effective; polyurea is rapid spray-applied, returning the bund to service inside hours but at higher capital cost and with less variant flexibility.
• Versus Vinyl Ester Resins — epoxy handles general industrial chemistry; vinyl ester handles concentrated acids, oxidisers and FRP/GRP lay-up duty that epoxy cannot reliably hold. Vinyl ester is the natural step-up for any meaningful acid bund.
• Versus Novolac Epoxy Resin — standard epoxy is the default for moderate chemistry; novolac is the uprated version for elevated temperature, concentrated acid and aggressive solvent duty where standard epoxy would soften.

Epoxy Resin Bunds FAQs