Hazardous substances can be found in almost every manufacturing company. Denios from Salzburg ensures safe storage.
After a fire in a large chemical factory in Switzerland almost 40 years ago, the young engineer Helmut Dennig had a vision: Never again should the ground, soil or water, whether rivers or groundwater, be contaminated by chemical leaks or contaminated fire-fighting water. This vision gave rise to Denios, which has become the market leader with products for the safe storage of hazardous substances, both indoors (e.g. hazardous substances and safety cabinets) and outdoors (fire-protected hazardous substance storage containers). Under the leadership of CEO Erich Humenberger, Denios, headquartered in Eugendorf in Salzburg, has been ranked in the top three in the business competition “Austria’s Leading Companies” for the past 15 years.
![](http://weltmeister.cc/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Erich-Humenberger-edited.png)
© Denios
As a layman, I occasionally take my hazardous
waste to a collection point. Why does Denios need
hazardous waste storage in the industrial sector?
Erich Humenberger: In principle, we are only active in
the b2b sector. Collection points that fall under the
responsibility of municipalities are therefore also indirectly
among our customers. Our clientele is mainly
found in manufacturing companies. Pretty much, every
company uses hazardous substances – be it in production
as operating materials, as additives or as raw
materials. The word hazardous substance sounds
daunting at first, which is why many people think primarily
of very dangerous substances. However, even
normal lubricants, motor oils or hydraulic oils fall into
this category because they are hazardous to water.
Chemicals, which are mainly used in the chemical and
pharmaceutical industries, as well as flammable substances
such as paints and varnishes or gases for welding or as
propellants in classic spray cans are also hazardous substances.
As such, they must be stored in companies in a
safe, legally compliant and environmentally friendly manner.
We have the right products for the storage of hazardous
substances of all kinds, such as spill trays.
Drums with water-polluting liquids, for example,
are placed in or on these. We also produce fire protection
cabinets in which flammable liquids such as
paints, varnishes, nitro thinners or spray cans can
be stored directly at the workplace and are thus
always at hand.
Everyone is likely to have many of these hazardous
substances, such as spray cans at home
and they are available in every drugstore.
Humenberger: A commercial enterprise and the
manufacturing industry is subject to strict legal requirements.
For the storage of flammable liquids, for
example, there is a set of rules (VbF - Ordinance on
Flammable Liquids) that stipulates exactly how and in
what quantities a company may store these substances.
In the private sector, these regulations are completely
irrelevant. In the new version of the VbF, which has been
in force since March 2023, trade has now been included
in many areas. In the past, for example, a large quantity
of highly flammable windscreen cleaners was stacked in
the salesroom, accessible to the public. A commercial enterprise,
on the other hand, would not have been allowed
to store such quantities in this way.
How does a hazardous materials storage system work?
Humenberger: In principle, almost all liquid hazardous materials
are also hazardous to water. All our safety cabinets, or in larger
dimensions our safety containers, have an integrated catch basin
at the bottom, where every weld seam is tested. This ensures that
leaking liquids do not enter the ground, but the tray. A double frame
system is used for the fire protection containers, consisting of solid
inner frames and an outer frame made of steel. Between them are
at least ten-centimetre-thick insulation panels made of non-combustible
rock wool. This insulates so well that in the event of a fire
from the outside, only the outer frame or the outside of the insulation
panels become hot and the insulation inside the container
keeps it cool. Cool means that it must take longer than 90 minutes
for the internal temperature to reach 200 degrees Celsius at any
point. This is relatively cold for steel, so the inner frame is statically
strong, even if the strength of the outer frame is reduced in a
massive fire. If there is a fire inside the container, it works the other
way round.
fire detector is installed inside the container to detect heat and
smoke. If the fire detector goes off, it sends a signal to the control
unit. The control unit switches off the electrical door holding magnets,
so that the doors close automatically and in sequence if they
are still open. Of course, the doors are also fire-resistant for 90 minutes.
At the same time, the control system switches off the technical
ventilation of the container. At a temperature of about 60 degrees,
the door seals automatically foam up and seal the doors. Also temperature-
controlled, the fire dampers on the ventilation openings
close. The container is then hermetically sealed. This applies to fires
both inside and outside the container. This gives the fire brigade
enough time for a targeted extinguishing attack.
![](http://weltmeister.cc/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RFP-SD-1024x674.png)
© Denios
How does a hazardous materials storage system work?
Humenberger: For small batteries used in everyday life, such as
those found in gardening tools or tools like cordless screwdrivers,
drills etc., or even bicycle batteries that already have a little more
power, we offer fire protection cabinets for safe storage and charging.
They are also fire-protected for 90 minutes. The danger of a
used battery catching fire is greatest during charging. In a craft
business, charging probably takes place in the workshop overnight.
Our SmartStore safety cabinets are equipped with sockets inside
for this purpose, so that the batteries are stored safely and charged
at the same time. If a battery burns down during charging in the
cabinet, the workshop is protected. This safety aspect makes our
lithium-ion charging cabinets a very popular product.
Your energy storage systems were recently
launched on the market.
Humenberger: This is all about economic sustainability
and green electricity. Our existing,
walk-in fire protection containers are up to eight
metres long, three metres high and three metres
wide. In cooperation with the company Tesvolt,
we build batteries and inverters into them, so
that companies with large photovoltaic systems can store the surplus
energy. We call our product, the fire-protected energy storage
system, Power-Safe. This is a plug-and-play solution that can be
used, for example, to cushion expensive peak loads or to cover part
of the base load.
What made Denios one of the world’s largest providers of hazardous
material storage solutions?
Humenberger: Our founder started out in Germany
with collection trays and occupied the
niche of environmentally compliant hazardous
material storage. After that, the product range
was expanded steadily. We differ from other
suppliers in some areas, as we have our own
production facilities and can offer individual,
tailor-made solutions for our customers. In addition,
we produce everything from catch basins and safety cabinets
to fire protection containers ourselves. In sales, another USP is our
expert advice, regardless of whether it is a simple collection tray or
a large hazardous materials storage facility. We are a one-stop shop
from the initial consultation to the installation and later maintenance
of the hazardous materials storage facility – a carefree package,
so to speak.
Do you supply customers worldwide?
Humenberger: Yes, apart from the current politically induced delivery
restrictions. Denios is represented throughout Europe, either
with production or sales. In addition, we produce in the USA for
North America and Canada, and in China for the Chinese market
![](http://weltmeister.cc/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Denios-connect-1024x971.png)
© Denios
Can you be sustainable in your costly production? Is a circular
economy even possible in your field?
Humenberger: Our collection trays are mostly made of steel or polyethylene,
or in special cases stainless steel. The systems are also
made of standard steel and rock wool panels. Our materials are
therefore quite normal basic materials. In the Catalogue Products
area, we offer our customers more and more carbon-neutral products
and for years have been awarded the Eco Vadis seal for sustainability
in the supply chain. As a climate-neutral company, Denios focuses
on many measures to keep its carbon footprint as small as possible
Denios also initiates environmental protection projects outside
its own sites. Under the motto ‘Environment for the next generation’,
our apprentices and students have joined forces and act as
ambassadors for sustainable action.
What does a digital hazardous materials storage system look
like? Is real-time monitoring necessary?
Humenberger: We call the product in which we digitise the container
DeniosConnect. This allows the customer to permanently
monitor all relevant status data, such as the interior temperature or
“Our safety
cabinets are
equipped with
sockets on the
inside; batteries
are thus stored and
charged safely.”
Erich Humenberger
“Denios connect” is a cloud-based web app for monitoring.
© Denios
World Champion Austria
Denios
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measurements of the liquid sensor in the collection
tray. We can install a wide range of sensors,
whose signals are combined and transmitted to
the customer’s end device via a cloud-based web
application. If there are any abnormalities in the
container, there are different warning levels up
to an alarm. The customer has a permanent overview and automatic
documentation. Where temperature-critical aggregates are
stored, for example in the food or pharmaceutical industry, a certain
temperature range must be maintained. It is eminently important
for a drug manufacturer, for example, to be able to seamlessly document
the correct storage or the storage conditions. This automatic
documentation is one of the main benefits for the customer.
What was the most complicated task you faced?
Humenberger: That’s hard to say, because large parts of the automotive
industry and almost the entire chemical industry in Western
Europe are our customers. We built a decontamination
container for a university in Bavaria,
where radioactivity was involved. For a university
in western Austria, we not only equipped
the laboratory with fire protection cabinets, but
also built an outdoor hazardous materials storage
facility. Or, a few years ago, a hazardous materials storage facility
consisting of several individual containers connected to each
other by locks for a very large hospital in eastern Austria. You can
work with various substances in these containers like in a laboratory
When will the container for the archetypical evil mother-in-law
arrive?
Humenberger: Since we are exclusively operating in the b2b sector
and this is a requirement from the b2c sector, it does not fall within
our field of business. (laughs)