Spill Absorbents

Oil, chemical and general purpose spill absorbents

The first choice with any spill absorbent is the liquid it has to pick up. Each grade in the range is made for a different group of fluids, and the same grades run through the pads, rolls, socks, cushions and booms.

General purpose absorbents

General purpose absorbents, which the trade also calls universal or maintenance absorbents, take water, coolant, oils, fuels, solvents and other non-hazardous liquids. They are the grade for everyday leaks in workshops, plant yards, welfare units and production areas where a spill could be water based or oil based. They are also the grade to reach for when the leak is water, from a burst hose, a dripping pipe or a washdown area.

Oil and fuel absorbents

Oil and fuel absorbents, often sold as oil only, pick up oils, diesel and other fuels, solvents and hydrocarbons and repel water. That water repellence makes them the grade for spills outdoors, on wet ground and in the rain, at refuelling points and on plant standing areas, where an absorbent that also takes water would soak up rainwater along with the fuel. On open water and in drains, the same property lets a boom take the oil and leave the water behind.

Chemical absorbents

Chemical absorbents are made for acids, alkalis and strong chemicals in chemical stores, battery charging areas and production lines. Neither of the other grades is made for these liquids, so wherever acids or alkalis are handled or decanted, a chemical grade belongs on hand next to the general purpose stock.

Absorbent booms for land, drains and water

The right boom depends on where the spill is, because hard ground, a drain and open water each have a boom made for them.

Land booms

Land booms ring a spill on hard ground, such as a yard, car park or workshop floor, and stop it spreading while it is cleaned up. Their outer skin lets liquid through to the absorbent fill on contact, and they come in general purpose, oil and fuel, and chemical grades. Each boom is 3 m long, and the land boom set with netting, rope, clips and rings has the fittings to join booms into a longer ring around a larger spill.

Mini drain booms

Mini drain booms are compact booms that go into drains, sumps and tanks, and into tight spaces a full size boom cannot reach. They are water repellent, so they can be left in place to take up oil and diesel from the water around them. That suits sumps, interceptors and drainage on plant compounds and refuelling areas.

Marine booms

Marine booms float and take up only hydrocarbons such as diesel, so they are the boom for ponds, lakes, rivers, marinas and harbours, and for works beside them. On a river they are angled across the flow downstream of the source so the current carries the oil along the boom to the bank, and on still water they ring it.

Oil retention booms and absorption pillows

Both are polymer absorbents that turn oil and fuel into a solid, rubber-like mass, so the hydrocarbon does not drain or leak back out when the boom or pillow is lifted. Oil retention booms come in marine and quick deployment types and hold back hydrocarbon spills on water or land near construction sites, harbours and lakes. Oil absorption pillows are for contained standing water, such as a flooded excavation, a bunded area or a sump, and they are reusable.