Ask X3What does 49 CFR 173.158 (Nitric acid) require?
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According to 49 CFR 173.158, nitric acid must be packaged according to specific concentration, impurity, and transport-method requirements:
* Concentration limits for mixing: Nitric acid exceeding 40% concentration cannot be packaged with any other material.
* Concentration-based packaging:
* Concentrations up to 40% (by weight) moved by rail, highway, or cargo vessel may use a single-trip UN1H1 plastic drum that is destroyed after emptying and permanently marked "Single Trip Only" and "Must be Destroyed When Empty."
* Concentrations of 80% or greater (without sulfuric or hydrochloric acid impurities) may use 1B1 aluminum drums.
* Concentrations of 90% or greater may use specific wooden boxes with inner glass bottles (overpacked in metal packagings) or specific combination packagings.
* Concentrations less than 90% may use metal, fiberboard, or wooden boxes with inner glass packagings (with specific intermediate packaging and absorbent material requirements for wooden/fiberboard outer packagings).
* Concentrations of 70% or less may use specific composite packagings, expanded plastic boxes with glass inner packagings, or combination packagings with plastic inner packagings overpacked in metal.
* Solutions with more than 70% or not more than 70% (other than red fuming) transported by rail, highway, cargo vessel, or cargo-only aircraft may use a UN 4G outer fiberboard box with specific FEP/PFA plastic bottles for inner packaging and rigid-foam plastic or bag/absorbent systems for intermediate packaging.
* Aircraft restrictions: Nitric acid transported by cargo aircraft only has strict limits on inner packaging capacities (e.g., restricted to 1 L or 0.5 L depending on concentration and type).
* Pure acid (no sulfuric/hydrochloric impurities) in stainless steel: When transported by rail, highway, or water without those impurities, nitric acid of any concentration may use 1A1 stainless steel drums, provided they meet strict thickness, steel type (e.g., Type 304 or 347 variants), corrosion-resistance, weight-loss limits (not weighing less than 85% of original tare weight), and specific drum markings (steel type, thickness, and original tare weight preceded by "TW").