What’s in your Firework?

The 5th of November, or fireworks night as it is commonly known in the UK, is a celebration of the anniversary of the failed gunpowder plot in 1605. The plan was to kill King James 1st for his refusal to grant Catholics more freedom. Guy Fawkes was found guarding the gunpowder placed underneath the Houses of Parliament after a letter was sent to King James 1st alerting him to the plot. Today, Fireworks night is celebrated in the United Kingdom with firework displays, bonfires with effigies of Guy Fawkes and BBQ’s. Firework Night According to figures from 2017, the British public spent over £497 million on fireworks in 2017. These days, you can purchase all sorts of different fireworks. From just your usual firecrackers, to Catherine wheels, to ones that even spell out words when they explode. But what goes into making a firework? The main ingredients that are used to make fireworks are: 75% potassium nitrate mixed with 15% charcoal and then 10% sulphur. However, to get the different colours such as blue, other chemical materials are added. Did you know… EWFM has been handling projects where sulphur has been involved. Alright, maybe not for the purpose of making fireworks go bang, but for products in the chemical industry such as fertilisers. Please note that for these projects we have been providing our customers with Chemical Loading Arms. EWFM has a range of 9 loading arms suited for chemical substances which are all manufactured according to ATEX/PED standards. In our range, we have top or bottom Loading Arms, with fixed or variable reaches for a longer range. They are usually constructed of stainless steel, but more exotic materials are available on request. We manufacture the arms in all the standard sizes but are happy to take on a customised challenge when required. All our Chemical Loading Arms come with numerous add-ons. As you can imagine, when filling products such as sulphur, which is literally used to fuel a firework, safety is paramount as it is extremely flammable. Our Loading Arms come with overfill sensors, vapour recovery, pneumatics, heat tracing and more, all to ensure a safe operation for the end user. We can’t afford to have fireworks at work! The EWFM team hopes that everyone celebrating fireworks night has a wonderful evening and that you all stay safe! If a Chemical Loading Arm, or any of our Loading Arms, is something that interests you, contact one of our sales team who will be happy to assist you with questions or queries. Contact information: As always, get in touch with our Sales Team to discuss your next requirement wherever you are in the world and we will be delighted to help. Tel : +44 (0) 1763 248650 Email : sales@ewfm.co.uk To keep up to date with news on how we are supporting our customers, our latest blogs and new services available, keep checking in on our website throughout the year and follow us on social media including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

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