It particularly it concerns the use of what are known to those skilled in the art as bulk bags or Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBCs), which are flexible bags made from woven fabrics, to transport and store dangerous powdered, granular, particulate, pelletised or briquetted solid materials.

FIBCs are commonly made from heavy woven textile fabrics, typically made from polyolefins such as polypropylene and polyethylene. This fabric is sometimes coated on one or both sides with a melted extrusion of similar material. FIBCs sometimes include an inner liner made from polyethylene or polypropylene film to provide a barrier against moisture and/or gases and this liner may be closed by heat sealing to provide a fully sealed package for the enclosed material.

A normal FIBC has only a single skin of woven textile. It is usually fitted with a fill spout and often a discharge spout which are tied closed by rope or other means. Designs may vary according to the rated capacity of the FIBC and whether it is for a single use only or is reusable.

FIBCs are sometimes used for the carriage of dangerous materials in situations where Group 2 or Group 3 containers are mandated and the appropriate authorities must certify the package accordingly for transportation. However a substantially higher level of performance is required for Group 1 containers and to date an acceptable FIBC has not been put into general use for such dangerous goods and these goods have been transported only in rigid containers.

An example of Group 1 dangerous goods is sodium cyanide. This is widely used as a reagent in mineral processing, particularly for gold extraction, and large quantities are

transported long distances from manufacturing plants to mine sites. It is commonly supplied in the form of small briquettes. Normal current practice is for such sodium cyanide briquettes to be transported in a rigid composite Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) which comprises an FIBC inner primary package and a wooden box outer secondary package. The whole IBC package has a rated safe working load of lOOOKg. The FIBC textile fabric has a coating on the inside, and a polythene liner in the box encapsulates the FIBC and is closed by heat sealing. Such IBC's are placed in an ISO shipping container, with 20 boxes per container and transported to mine sites and the like. At the mine site, operators separate the bag from the box before lifting the bag over a discharge spike attached to a hopper.

The whole IBC comprising box, liner and FIBC is typically used once only and a common practice has been for the emptied IBC's to be incinerated at the sites. This practice is now restricted in many cases by changes in industry practice and/or government regulations in most countries and such regulations are becoming more stringent and more widespread.

Thus such IBC's are now returned in most cases to the supplier for disposal. However such return is an expensive exercise as the total package weight is typically about 75Kg, of which the box is 70Kg with the FIBC and liner weighing 5 Kg.

An additional problem is that third parties cannot or will not accept such packaging materials for recycling purposes due to the extreme toxicity of any possible residues. The complete package is therefore usually disposed of by controlled high temperature incineration at a licensed premises. These facilities are few, and the control of the incineration process and the transport thereto is difficult, so adding to the disposal cost.

An object of the present invention is to alleviate the disadvantages of the prior art by reducing safety hazards and reducing the amount of packaging in order to reduce the environmental impact and the cost of packaging disposal. A major object is to eliminate the need for the box component while still providing an FIBC which can withstand the rigours encountered in transporting and storage with the required degree of safety required for such a hazardous bulk material.

Accordingly, in one aspect the invention provides a container for transport and storage of bulk solids material said container having four sides, a top and a bottom all defining a generally cuboid shape having side edges between adjacent said sides, said container further comprising an outer casing containing an inner bag and reinforcing panel means, wherein said outer casing comprises: -four side walls, a top face and a bottom face, all made of woven fabric and defining outside surfaces of the container and outer casing side edges between adjacent said side walls of the outer casing, -a closable opening at the outer casing top face for loading the bulk solids material into the container, and -lifting means attached to each said side wall or outer casing side edge, said inner bag comprises: -four side walls, side edges and a bottom face in generally facing relationship to the corresponding side walls, side edges and bottom face of the outer casing, and -at least one layer of flexible sheet material, which is impervious to said bulk solids material, on the four side walls, and bottom face of the inner bag, and said panel means comprises hard sheet material inserted at each side wall between said outside surfaces and said inner bag.

The outer casing may have a side edge seam sewn through two layers of said woven fabric at each side edge, and said inner bag may comprise: -a liner sewn into the outer casing in close fitting relationship to the outer casing, said liner being formed from the flexible sheet material impervious to said bulk solids material, -a closable opening at the top of the liner, and -a web extending outwards from each side edge of the liner; each said web of the liner being sewn to the side edges of the outer casing at the side edge seams, with said panel means of hard sheet material inserted between two layers of woven fabric.

The outer casing outer casing may comprise two layers of woven fabric over each of said side walls with said panel means inserted between those layers.

Within said liner a further inner bag may be provided, said further inner bag having: -four side walls, side edges and a bottom face corresponding respectively to the side walls, side edges and bottom face of the outer casing, and -a closable opening at the top, the side walls of the further inner bag having two layers of woven fabric with said panel means inserted between those layers.

An opposed pair of side walls may each contain a single panel and that pair may be removable to allow the container to be folded flat. Preferably an opposed pair of side walls each contain a single panel having a central vertically aligned hinge means which allows said hinged panels to fold in half whereby the container may be folded flat.

At each side edge the two layers of outer casing fabric may be sewn to form an outwardly projecting rib which protrudes beyond the plane of each adjacent side wall at that edge.

The outer casing may contain a removable inner casing including said inner bag, and said outer casing may comprise: -a sheath made of said woven fabric, and -a close fitting sheath liner formed from a flexible sheet material impervious to said bulk solids material and with a sealable opening at its top, said inner casing comprising: -four inner side walls, side edges and a bottom face corresponding respectively to the side walls, side edges and bottom face of the sheath, and formed from a flexible sheet material impervious to said bulk solids material, -a sealable opening at the top,

-lifting means attached to each said side wall or side edge of the inner casing, and -side wall covers comprising a layer of fabric covering each inner side wall and sewn to the remainder of the inner casing along the side edges, and said panel means of hard sheet material may be inserted between the two layers at each side wall between the jacket and the jacket liner.

The inner casing may have an internal flexible panel extending between each pair of adjacent side walls to act in tension as a gusset to restrain the side walls from bulging outwards.

The outer casing may comprise: -two layers of woven fabric on each of the side walls, and -a side edge seam sewn through said two layers of fabric of both adjacent outer casing side walls at each side edge, and the inner bag may comprise: -a liner formed from said flexible sheet material, -a closable opening at the top of the liner, and -a web extending outwards from each side edge of the liner, each said web being sewn to the side edges of the outer casing at the side edge seams, whereby the panel means of hard sheet material may be inserted at each side wall between said two layers of fabric. Each said web on the liner may be sewn into the respective side edge seam.

At each side edge the two layers of outer casing fabric may be sewn to form an outwardly projecting rib which protrudes beyond the plane of each adjacent side wall at that edge.

The hard sheet material may be chosen from plywood or plastics material and have a thickness in the range of lmm to 4mm. The flexible sheet material comprising the inner

bag is preferably impervious to gaseous material emanating from the bulk solids material in the container In another aspect the invention provides a container for transport and storage of bulk solids material said container comprising an outer casing containing a removable inner casing, wherein said outer casing comprises: -a sheath comprising four side walls, a top face and a bottom face all made of woven fabric and defining a generally cuboid shape having side edges between adjacent said side walls, -a closable opening at the top face for loading the bulk solids material into the container, -lifting means attached to each said side wall or side edge, and -a close fitting sheath liner formed from a flexible sheet material impervious to said bulk solids material and with a sealable opening at its top, and said inner casing comprises: -four inner side walls, side edges and a bottom face corresponding respectively to the side walls, side edges and bottom face of the sheath, and formed from a flexible sheet material impervious to said bulk solids material, -a sealable opening at the top, -lifting means attached to each said side wall or side edge of the inner casing, and -side wall covers comprising a layer of fabric covering each inner side wall and sewn to the remainder of the inner casing along the side edges, and -panel means of hard sheet material inserted between the two layers at each side wall between the jacket and the jacket liner.

In a further aspect the invention provides a method of transporting dangerous solids material in bulk, comprising: -selecting a container as defined above,

-loading the solids material through the loading spout into the container, -sealing the inner bag closed, -transporting the container and solids material to a destination, and -emptying the solids material by supporting the inner bag over a receiving area and puncturing the bottom of the inner bag sufficiently for the solids material to flow therefrom.

The inner bag may be supported over the receiving area while still contained in the outer casing and the outer casing may be punctured at the same time as the inner bag is punctured. Alternatively the inner bag may be removed from the outer casing before the inner bag is punctured.

Brief Description of the Drawings In order that the invention may be more fully understood there will now be described, by way of example only, preferred embodiments and other elements of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings where: Figure 1 is a view of a container according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a view of a liner used within the container shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view of a panel used within the container shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a cross-section detail showing one alternative of a seam structure which may be used in constructing the container in Figure 1; Figure 5 is a cross-section detail showing a seam structure which is more preferred than that shown in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a plan view of a container according to a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 is a side view of the container shown in Figure 6; Figure 8 is a view of a liner used within the container shown in Figure 7; Figure 9 is a view of a panel used within the container shown in Figure 6; Figure 10 is a view of an inner part of a container according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 11 is a view of an outer part of the container according to the third embodiment of the invention; Figure 12 is a view of an outer part of a container according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention which is a variation on the third embodiment; Figure 13 is a view of a bag forming the outer layer of a container according to a fifth embodiment of the invention; Figure 14 is a view of a liner used directly inside the bag shown in Figure 13; Figure 15 is a view of a casing which in use is placed inside the liner shown in Figure 14; Figure 16 is a view of a bag which forms part of the casing shown in Figure 15; Figure 17 is a cutaway view of a container assembled from the components shown in Figures 13,14 and 15; Figure 18 is a plan view of a sixth embodiment of the present invention which is a modified form of the container shown in Figure 17; and Figure 19 is a cutaway side view of the container shown in Figure 18.

For ease of explanation, like components have been given the same identification number in some of the embodiments.

Detailed Description of the Invention and Preferred Embodiment Referring to Figures 1 to 5, a flexible intermediate bulk container (FIBC) 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The container has an approximately cubic shape with four side walls 14 to 17, a bottom face 18 and top face 19. An outer casing 11 made from two layers 12 and 13 of heavy woven fabric forms the outside of the container as casing side walls 24 to 27, casing bottom face 28 and casing top face 29. A suitable fabric is a heavy woven polypropylene fabric coated with polypropylene and having a weight of 320gsm and a breaking force of about 1800 x 1500N/50mm according to Australian Standards test AS2001.2.3.

The layers 12 and 13 are sewn together at side edge seams 21 which form the join between adjacent side walls 14 and 15,15 and 16,16 and 17, and 17 and 14 respectively.

Sandwiched between the fabric layers 12 and 13 of each side wall is a hard panel 34 or 35

of medium impact semi-rigid polyethylene or polypropylene sheet material approximately 2 mm thick. Alternatively a plywood, MDF timber sheet or thick cardboard sheet may be used, but recycled plastics are preferred materials. The bottom face 18 and top face 19 have no such hard panel inserts.

The term"hard", as used in the above passage and elsewhere in this specification to describe panels of this type, is intended to mean that the panels are resistant to penetration or cutting. The panels are somewhat rigid, although they may exhibit a degree of bendability as would be expected from the examples of suitable materials indicated.

Two opposing panels 34, as shown in Figure 3, have a central vertically aligned fold crease 38 formed into the panel. This acts as a hinge to enable the panels 34 to be folded in half thus allowing the empty container to collapse flat. The other two opposing panels 35 are plain unhinged panels. As a less preferred alternative to the crease as a hinge means, two half-size panels could be used in an edge-abutted relationship in which the half-size panels may be not affixed to each other or alternatively may be hinged to each other by a different material, such as a fabric tape.

The top face 19 is fitted with a loading spout 30 which can be tied closed by a draw cord 32. Four lifting straps 33 are attached to the side walls near the top corners of the container. These straps allow easy lifting of the full container and, in particular, enable the end user to lift the container into position over a hopper for discharging the bulk solids material from the container.

Discharge is achieved by lifting the FIBC off its pallet and over a hopper. The hopper has a conical spike onto which the FIBC is lowered in order to rupture the bottom face 18 and so cause discharging. This method of discharge removes the need for operators having to reach under the FIBC to unlock any discharge device that might otherwise need to be fitted.

The liner 41 shown in Figure 2 is of approximately cubic shape with four side walls 44 to 47, a bottom face 48 and top face 49. The liner is sized to be a neat fit inside the outside casing 11. It is formed by welding sheets of flexible polypropylene of about 0.2mm thick

and the top face 49 carries a loading spout 50 which may be heat sealed shut after the FIBC is filled with the desired materials. The side walls 44 to 47 join with each other along four side edges 52, and from each side edge extends a web 54 being a double thickness layer of the liner material heat bonded into a unitary sheet structure. When manufacturing the FIBC, the webs 54 are sewn into the side edge seams 21 of the outside casing 11.

Spanning each side edge 52 within the liner 41 is an internal web panel 55 which is bonded at each side to a side wall 44 to 47 and acts in tension as a gusset to restrain the side walls from bulging outwards. The gusset panels 55 are bonded to the side walls at approximately 20-25% of the liner's base length from the side edges 52. These gusset panels 55 have large openings cut in them to facilitate proper filling and draining of that liner volume between the gusset panels 55 and the side edges 52.

Figure 4 illustrates a structure which may be used for the side edge seams 21. The outside layer 13 of casing fabric is a contiguous panel of fabric which passes horizontally around the outside of the casing. Preferably the layer 13 is a seamless tube of fabric in order to provide maximum hoop strength and thus maximise resistance to bursting of the FIBC if it is dropped from a significant height. Alternatively the contiguous panel forming the outside layer 13 may be joined end to end at one of the side edge seams 21, but such an alternative arrangement is not as structurally strong as the preferred seamless tube option described earlier in this paragraph. The inside layers 12 of casing fabric on side walls 25 to 27 are single separate flat panels which each cover one side wall only.

A row of stitching indicated in Figure 4 by the strand 58 passes through the inside and outside layers 12 and 13 of fabric and through the web 54 inserted between them in order to produce an outwardly projecting rib 60 which protrudes beyond the planes 64 and 65 (indicated by dashed lines) of the adjacent side walls at that edge. The prominently projecting rib 60 provides substantial protection to the outside casing 11 at the side edge seam 21 where the casing would be otherwise very susceptible to damage as it does not have the protection of immediately underlying portions of the hard panels 24 to 27. It will be appreciated that the corners 22 of an FIBC constructed in this way are extremely strong due to the overlapping of multiple layers.

Figure 5 illustrates a structure for the side edge seams 21 which is a preferred alternative to that described above with reference to Figure 4. Referring to Figure 5, the inside layer 12 of casing fabric is the layer formed from the seamless tube of fabric in order to provide high hoop strength. Alternatively the contiguous panel forming the inside layer 12 may be joined end to end at one of the side edge seams 21, but such an alternative arrangement is not as structurally strong as the preferred seamless tube option described earlier in this paragraph. The outside layers 13 of casing fabric on side walls 25 to 27 are single separate flat panels which each cover one side wall only.

A row of stitching indicated in Figure 5 by the strand 58 passes through the inside and outside layers 12 and 13 of fabric and through the web 54 inserted between them in order to produce an outwardly projecting rib 60 which protrudes beyond the planes 64 and 65 (indicated by dashed lines) of the adjacent side walls at that edge. The prominently projecting rib 60 provides the desired protection to the outside casing 11 at the side edge seam 21.

In the case of transporting sodium cyanide briquettes, an FIBC according to the present invention may be sized 105cm square in plan and 120cm high. This may be placed on a wooden pallet and conveniently loaded into ISO containers. The sizing of the FIBC is such that, when stacked, they fully utilise the ISO container volume by neatly fitting with their associated pallets into the container with two FIBCs side by side and two high, so preventing excessive movement of the FIBCs during transport.

Testing of an experimental FIBC manufactured as described above has shown excellent performance characteristics suitable to Group 1 rating using a 1100kg test load.

Referring to Figures 6 to 9, the container 70 of the second embodiment has an approximately cubic shape with four side walls, a bottom face 78 and top face 79. An outer casing 71 is made from a single layer of coated polypropylene fabric of the type described above with reference to Figure 1. The outer casing 71 is made from a single layer of the fabric and forms the outside of the container as side walls 84 to 87, casing

bottom face 88 and casing top face 89. The top face is configured as a conventional folded closure of petals 90 with a sewn on inside protector flap 91 and draw cord 92. The fabric forming the walls 84 to 87 is sewn together at side edge seams 81 which form the joins between adjacent side walls. Four lifting straps 93 in the form of loops are attached to the side walls near the top corners of the container.

The liner 101, which is shown by itself in Figure 8, has a block bottom 108 and is formed by welding 200 micron LDPE sheet. It is substantially taller than the height of the container when filled. The liner 101 has an open bag shape and in this respect is unlike the liner 41 shown in Figure 2. Also different is that liner 101 does not have any gusset panels spanning the corners like panels 55 in Figure 2. Accordingly liner 101 in Figure 8 is substantially cheaper to produce than liner 41 in Figure 2. The liner 101 is sized to be a neat fit inside the outside casing 71. It has a flat bottom 108 and side walls 104 to 107 join with each other along four side edges 112 and from each side edge extends a web 114 being a double thickness layer of the liner material heat bonded into a unitary sheet structure. When manufacturing the FIBC, the webs 114 are sewn into the side edge seams 81 of the outside casing 71.

Within the liner 101 is nested an inner bag 116 having four side walls 125, a flat bottom 126 and a top face 127. It is sewn from coated polypropylene having a mass of 320gsm.

The top face 127 of the inner bag 116 is fitted with a loading spout 110 which can be tied closed by a draw cord 109. A typical external size for inner bag 116 would be 105 x 105 x 120cm where the outside casing 71 is 110 x 110 x 125cm. The inner bag 116 is constructed with two layers (an outer layer 118 and an inner layer 119) of fabric on the side walls 125 and between the layers on each wall is a hard panel 114. The four panels 114 are each sized to extend over substantially the entire area of the inner bag's side wall 125. The size of a panel 114 is shown by the cross-hatched area in Figure 7. The four panels 114 have the materials properties described above with reference to panel 34. The inner bag 116 has no lifting straps.

Spanning each side edge within the inner bag 116 is an internal web panel 115 which is sewn at each side to the inner layer 119 of a side wall 125 and acts in tension as a gusset to

restrain the side walls 125 from bulging outwards. The gusset panels 115 have large apertures 117 cut in them to facilitate proper filling and draining of the volume between the gusset panels and the side edges of the inner bag 116.

The panels 34 have three vertical creases, 98,99 and 100 formed into the panel. One crease 99 is formed in the centre of the panel to allow the panel to fold so the inner bag can be folded. The side creases 98 and 100 are positioned to line up with the stitching on the inner wall 119 where the gusset is attached. The gusseting causes the wall 119 to form a valley along that line and the creases 98 and 100 allow the panel 94 to more easily bend along the line and thus more easily contour to the wall's shape.

Referring to Figures 10 and 11, the embodiment shown therein is substantially the same as the container described above with reference to Figures 6 to 9. The components in Figures 10 and 11 have been numbered accordingly. The major difference from container 70 is that a discharge spout is fitted to the bottom face. This is held closed by tie tape 130 on the inner bag bottom and cord 131 on the outer bag bottom which are released in order to discharge the contents of the container. In this embodiment the outer bag, liner, and inner bag all have discharge spouts formed on their bottom face and each is independently tied with tapes or cords.

Referring to Figure 12, the embodiment shown is very similar to that described above with reference to Figure 11. The difference is that in Figure 12 the lifting straps 134 formed into loops are sewn onto the side edge 136 rather than onto the face of the side panels. Two lengths of strap fabric extend as tails 135 from the bottom of each loop 134 and these tails are sewn onto the outside of the side edge 136, one tail for the full length of the edge. This provides a better distribution of the load when lifting, and also provides improved protection for the seam area on the edge 136 against impact damage to the container when it is full.

Referring to Figures 13 to 17, a flexible intermediate bulk container (FIBC) 10 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention is shown. The container has an approximately cubic shape with four side walls 14 to 17, a bottom face 18 and a top. The

container 10 comprises an outer casing and an inner casing 221. The outer casing comprises an outer sheath 211 and a liner 143.

An outer sheath 211 shown by itself in Figure 13 is made from a layer of heavy woven fabric and forms the outside layer of the container as sheath walls 24 to 27, and sheath bottom face 28. The sheath top face is formed by a cap top 20 tied down by ties 23 in the manner well known to FIBC manufacturers. A suitable fabric for the sheath is a heavy woven polypropylene fabric coated with polypropylene and having a weight of 320gsm and a breaking force of about 1800 x 1500N/50mm according to Australian Standard test AS2001.2.3.

Reinforced side edge seams 21 form the join between adjacent side walls 14 and 15,15 and 16,16 and 17, and 17 and 14 respectively. Four lifting straps 33 are sewn as loops onto the reinforcement at the top of side edge seams 21.

The liner 143 shown in Figure 14 has a block bottom 148 and is formed by welding 200 micron LDPE sheet. It is sized to be a neat fit inside the outer sheath 211 although the four side walls 144 to 147 extend to substantially above the top of the sheath. By this extension the top of the sheath liner 143 may be heat sealed shut after the container is filled with the desired materials. The sealing of the sheath liner 143 can be performed close to the very top of the liner, so that the seal may be cut away and the liner still be tall enough to be resealed on a further one or more uses. The side walls 144 to 147 join with each other along four side edges 152, and from each side edge extends a web 154 being a double thickness layer of the liner material heat bonded into a unitary sheet structure.

The outer sheath 211 and liner 143 together form the outer casing. When manufacturing the outer casing, the webs 154 of the liner are sewn into the side edge seams 21 of the outer sheath 211. In an alternative construction the liner is not attached to the outer sheath 211 and in that case the liner need not be provided with the webs 154.

Within the liner 143 is nested an inner casing 221 comprising a bag 216 with attached fabric pockets 125 and four lifting loop straps 233 sewn onto the side edges. The inner

casing 221 is sized to be a neat fit inside the outer casing. A typical external size for inner casing 221, with the spout 210 laid down flat, would be 105 x 105 x 120cm where the outside casing 71 is 110 x 110 x 125cm. The webs 254 are approximately 50mm deep.

The bag 216, which is shown in detail in Figure 16, is similar to that described with reference to Figure 2 above. The bag 216 has four side walls 244 to 247, a bottom face 248 and formed top 249. Into the top 249 is welded a cylindrical loading spout 250 which is intended be heat sealed shut after the bag 216 is filled with the desired materials.

Alternatively, but less desirably, the spout may be closed by a draw cord 209 as shown on Figure 17. The side walls 244 to 247 join with each other along four side edges 252, and from each side edge extends a web 254 being a double thickness layer of the liner material heat bonded into a unitary sheet structure.

Spanning each side edge within the jacket liner 216 is an internal web panel 215 which is welded at each side to a side wall 244 to 247 and acts in tension as a gusset. The gusset panels 215 have large apertures 217 cut in them to facilitate proper filling and draining of the volume between the gusset panels and the side edges of the bag 216.

A layer of coated woven fabric overlies each of the walls 244 to 247 and these are sewn to the bag 216 along webs 254. This forms a pocket 125 against each wall 244 to 247. The webs are reinforced with fabric and four lifting straps 234 are sewn as loops onto the top of the reinforcing.

The pockets 125 may be left open at the bottom edges of the bag 216 or may be sewn to the bag there also. The pockets may also be joined to an optional bottom cover 126 of coated fabric which may be sewn to the bag 216 to overlie the outside of the bottom face 248. The pockets 125 and optional bottom cover 126 are preferably made from a heavy woven polypropylene fabric coated with polypropylene which has a weight of 320gsm and a breaking force of about 1800 x 1500N/50mm according to Australian Standard test AS2001.2.3.

The inner casing 221 is therefore constructed with two flexible layers (a wall of the bag 216 and a pocket 125) on each side wall. Sandwiched between these layers is a hard panel 34 of the form discussed above with reference to Figure 3. The four panels 34 are each sized to extend over substantially the entire area of the inner casing's side wall 125 as can be seen from Figure 17 where the portions of the panel 214 visible in that cutaway view are shown-cross-hatched.

The panel 94 shown in Figure 9 is an alternative to that in Figure 3. The panels 94 have three vertical creases, 98,99 and 100 formed into them. As discussed above, the creases allow the panel 94 to more easily bend and thus contour to the wall's shape.

Four looped lifting straps 33 are attached at the top corners of the outer sheath 11. These are in addition to the four lifting straps 234 on the inner casing. The straps 33 allow easy lifting of the complete full container whereas the straps 234 enable the end user to lift the inner casing out of the outer casing for emptying. After the inner and outer casings are separated, the panels 34 or 94 are optionally removed from the inner casing if there is no leakage of hazardous material from the bag 216 onto the panels. Then the bag 216 is lifted over a hopper for discharging the bulk solids material from the inner casing. The hopper has a conical spike onto which the inner casing is lowered in order to rupture the bottom face 248 of the bag (and the bottom cover 126 if fitted) and so cause discharging. This method of discharge removes the need for operators having to reach under the FIBC to release any discharge device that might otherwise need to be fitted.

The inner casing comprising the ruptured bag and pockets may be sent for incineration, while the other components of the container, namely the outer sheath, sheath liner and hard panels, may be returned for re-use with fresh inner casing components.

Figures 18 and 19 illustrate a container 260 which is mostly the same as the container 10 shown in Figure 17. The most significant differences are the way in which the top of the outer sheath 262 is closed and the configuration of the lifting loops attached to the outer casing sheath. The top face 263 is configured as a conventional folded closure of petals

264 with a sewn-on inside protector flap 265 and draw cord 266. Four lifting straps 268 in the form of loops are attached to the side walls near the top corners of the container.

When transporting sodium cyanide briquettes, use of FIBCs according to the present invention provide the following advantages over the existing method: 1. Less packaging to dispose of.

2. Containers are water resistant so they can be stored outside.

3. The risk of injury when separating the bag from the box prior to discharge is eliminated.

4. A reduced risk from product contamination from splinters or nails which could come from the box.

5. The risk of injury from nails or steel bindings from the empty box is eliminated.

6. As approximately 20 empty FIBC bags take up the space of the current box, the economic attraction to return the package will further reduce on site incineration.

7. A reduction in the gross mass of packaged goods as shipped. This would amount to about a 1000kg weight saving per ISO container load.

In addition the FIBC's according to this invention provide for safe re-use of most of their components. This eliminates significant costs and environmental dangers associated with disposal of other types of containers.

An FIBC of the above described form may be used as a container for goods other than sodium cyanide. It is applicable in many industries for other dangerous goods which require group 1 packaging, or even to contain materials other than dangerous goods.

Whilst the above description includes several embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that many variations, alterations, modifications and/or additions may be introduced into the constructions and arrangements of parts described without departing from the essential features or the spirit or ambit of the invention.

It will be also understood that where the word"comprise", and variations such as "comprises"and"comprising", are used in this specification, unless the context requires otherwise such use is intended to imply the inclusion of a stated feature or features but is not to be taken as excluding the presence of other feature or features.