Spill Absorbents Guide- Everything You Need to Know — Sorbene
We know that taking all the safety precautions are still not enough to stop the spill accidents. We follow all the industrial guidelines, safety regulations but we are aware that some things are outside of our control.
Be it an oil spill, chemical spill, or any other hazardous material that your workplace handle or store, you should always be equipped to deal with it. Not all spill products are created equal and have their specific use depending upon the spill-type. But we can all agree that absorbent products are necessary no matter what kind of spill we are dealing with to contain and clean it effectively. The absorbents are also made of different types of material each having a different set of properties.
With all the options available in the market, selecting the right one for your specific problem might seem confusing and frustrating. Not only that but the products made from a specific type of absorbent also differ in usage and property. Today we are going to look at the types of absorbent and their properties to make the selection process easier for you.
Type of Absorbents Based on Use Cases
Oil-only Absorbents: These types of absorbents are hydrophobic (water-repelling) and only absorb hydrocarbon-based fluids.
If your workplace deals in petroleum or other types of oil then the products made from these absorbents are for you. You can find all the standard range of products made using these oil-only absorbents such as pads, pillows, socks, booms, etc.
Hazchem absorbents: These absorbents are suitable to deal with chemical spills. You should be aware of the type of chemicals your workplace deals with and select the absorbent product accordingly. Different types of absorbents have varied efficiency when dealing with a specific chemical.
If your workplace deals in a mixture of chemicals then choose the absorbent product best suited to deal with every component of the mix.
Universal absorbents: These absorbents can ideally deal with all kinds of spills. They are also known as general-purpose absorbents.
If your workplace is prone to small leaks and spills of various oils, chemicals, or water-based fluids, you can definitely choose this option.
Types of Absorbent Based on the Source
Natural Organic: These absorbents are made using naturally occurring organic materials. For example- sawdust, cotton, peat moss, etc. They can absorb 3 to 15 times their weight. These organic sorbents are usually very loose and can disperse in water very easily. They are mainly used for oil and water-based spills as most of them are weak against chemicals.
Natural Inorganic: They can absorb 4 to 20 times their weight. They consist of clay, vermiculite, volcanic ash, etc.
Synthetic absorbents: These are man-made absorbents. The most famous material used for making these absorbents is polypropylene. The absorbency for these could vary from 50–60 times their weight and they also have a longer life. The downside is that its disposal is not eco-friendly as it is a form of plastic.
Sorbene has been using graphene- an allotrope of carbon that makes the disposal of used absorbent products a lot easier and eco-friendly. The graphene also enhances the basic qualities of absorbent products such as absorbency. It allows upto 86 times absorbency and the products are also reusable after extraction of the absorbed content.
When and How Do You Use Different Absorbent Products?
Absorbent Socks are long cylindrical shaped suitable to prevent the spill from spreading. This product is built to snug the surface to prevent any seepage. The surface should be cleared off before using these socks otherwise it might become difficult to do perform the job effectively. These socks can be folded easily to cover the machinery base. The cylindrical shape can fit in hard to reach areas.
Absorbent Booms are large variations of socks that are used at offshore locations. When a spill happens in oceans, we use these booms to contain the spill. These booms can be linked end-to-end to enlarge the coverage area and they stay afloat even after absorption.
Absorbent Pads are used to clean-up the spill by placing them above the spilled content. You can also simply place them on the ground or below the machinery base where the spill might happen. They are a standard range of spill absorbent product that comes with a large absorbency. They can be used at both onshore and offshore locations. Use them in cohesion with absorbent socks to cleanup any runaway spill content.
Absorbent Pillows have even higher absorption capacity than absorbent pads. The pillows are used for large scale or localized spills. You can place them into tight spaces very easily. Put them below a persistent leak.
Absorbent Rolls can be unfolded to any required length. You can cut them in parts and place them over specific surface areas, machinery parts, etc.
Loose absorbents are used similar to how sand is used to put out the fire. You can place loose absorbent in a bucket near spill-prone areas. The storage drums containing Hazchem can be placed above the loose absorbent as a safety measure.
Contact Sorbene
Sorbene is a range of spill absorbent products developed by Log 9 Spill containment private limited, a subsidiary of Log 9 materials scientific private limited.
You can reach out to us at contact@sorbene.com or send your inquiry through our website’s contact page.
Originally published at https://www.sorbene.com on November 27, 2020.
