Xanthate - Can it cause fire on board vessels?
Xanthate is the common name for chemical reagents used in mining industry for separating valuable minerals, such as gold, copper, lead or zinc minerals, from non-valuable minerals, such as limestone or quartz. Common xanthate products are sodium ethyl xanthate (SEX), sodium isopropyl xanthate (SIPX), sodium isobutyl xanthate (SIBX) and potassium amyl xanthate (PAX).
October 2021 - a container vessel suffered a severe fire incident after damaged containers caught fire on board the vessel near Canada. While the Canadian Coast Guard said the vessel was carrying more than 52,000 kilograms of xanthates, which included potassium amylxanthate (PAX), the cause of the fire remains unknown at this point.
Download the Xanthate fact sheet to understand its properties and hazards.
