Liquid Safety Solutions for Environmental Clean-up

This is just a selection of products from our wider product range that are particularly suited to environmental clean-up applications.

Recovery of spilled or leaked fluids will be in either an indoor or outdoor location – this, along with the nature of the fluid that requires recovering will influence the choice of absorbent type.

White coloured absorbents are Oil-only and will absorb just oil-based fluids. These are perfect for just recovering oil-based fluids when water is present at the same time, as the absorbent will not take up any water-based fluids. For recovering oil-based spills on large bodies of water Oil-only products are the only choice.

Maintenance absorbents (sometimes referred to as Universal) are grey and/or black and will absorb both oil- and water-based fluids at the same time. These can be used indoors or outdoors but will take up a lot of water-based fluids at the same time as oil-based fluids.

Chemical absorbents are yellow. This is to signify to emergency services personnel that unknown or hazardous pollutants may be present, and that extreme caution should be shown when recovering and disposing of these contaminated sorbents.

All three absorbent types shown above are made from polypropylene which makes them inert and will not react to chemicals. They are flame retardant but can be incinerated. Please remember that any flammable liquids recovered by the sorbents will remain and present a fire hazard.

Liquid spill solutions for environmental clean-up on water

To collect and recover fluids that have leaked or been spilled on or around water there are a range of absorbent spill products available. Choose white Oil only products to ensure that only oil-based fluids present are recovered.

Pads are ideal for recovering oil-based fluids on bodies of water as they will float on the surface. They attract the oil-based fluids but repel water. To make the recovery as cost effective as possible unbonded Oil-only sorbent is the best choice.

Rolls of absorbent can equally be rolled out on foreshores to recover oil-based spills similar to pads. To make the recovery as cost effective as possible unbonded oil-only sorbent is the best choice.

Booms are long flexible tubes of absorbent that can be floated on the water surface to surround and prevent spills or leaks from spreading whilst also absorbing the fluid. These are available in different lengths and diameters. Eyes and snap-hooks allow multiple booms to be attached together to form long floating barrages. A 20 cm diameter boom is available for conditions where larger waves are present. A smaller 13cm diameter boom is available for inshore or inland water locations such as rivers, ponds or lakes.

Liquid spill solutions for environmental clean-up on land or indoors

To collect and recover fluids that have leaked or been spilled on land, or indoors, the deciding factor will again be the nature of the spilled fluid being recovered. For oil-based fluids choose Oil only sorbents. If the spilled fluid is water-based, like milk for instance, then a grey/black maintenance product should be selected. If the nature of the spill is; of an unknown substance, potentially aggressive, or hazardous in nature, then a yellow chemical sorbent should be selected.

Pads are ideal for recovering and placing over the spill to draw the spilled fluid into the polypropylene core.

Rolls of absorbent can be rolled out over the spill to cover the fluid and prevent it spreading.

Socks are long flexible tubes of absorbent that can be placed on a surface to surround and prevent spills or leaks from spreading whilst also absorbing the fluid. These are available in different lengths. As a containment sorbent these are a good choice to stop a spill or leak from spreading.

Booms are long lengths of sorbent than can be connected together to form longer barriers around a spill or source of a leak. Simple clip-hooks and metal eyes on each end of the boom allow multiple lengths to be attached together. A chemical boom is available but please note this will not float on water and will recover both water-based and oil-based fluids at the same time.

Protection against spills of acids, alkalis and other unknown toxic substances

In the event of a spill of an unknown or potentially hazardous substance, the spill should only be recovered by trained personnel or the emergency services. For smaller spills of mercury, we have specially formulated spill kits and powders, but extreme caution should be exercised when recovering these types of spill and full personal protective equipment suitable for the risk and hazard should be worn. All used sorbents should be bagged and securely tied ready for disposal following national and local government guidelines.

The cost of pollution

In the UK there is a policy of the ‘polluter pays’. This ‘payment’ is two-fold, not only will the polluter have to pay the costs of recovering the spill and any resulting damage costs. The second part is a financial fine, which can often be large and crippling to a business. There is also the chance that those responsible can also face criminal prosecution. So you can see it is essential to try and mitigate against any spill or leak risks and have an action plan in place if a spill does occur.

Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH)

See the Health and Safety Executive COMAH information here https://www.hse.gov.uk/comah/

Site Surveys and Spill Recovery training

To help you identify spill and leak risks we can provide in depth advice and guidance on best practise and how to mitigate against the risks. Speak to an experienced and highly knowledgeable member of our team who will be happy to advise on what equipment is best suited and how it should be used.

To allow a business’s employees to better respond to a spill we provide spill training to ensure that in the event of a spill everybody knows how to safely respond and follow a set procedure.

Absorbent compatibility chart

Use this chart to help select the correct absorbent type for a spill.