Spill Containment Blog

Spill Containment Blog

Spill Containment and Spill Cleanup Solutions

Can Granular Sorbents Be Eco-Friendly?

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Green leaf symbol.

When you clean up an oil spill, chemical spill, or other type of spill, you want to avoid or minimize environmental damage. That’s why it’s important to make sure that the absorbent material you use to clean a spill up doesn’t add to the ecological hazards created by spilled substances.

Take clay, for example. Clay has long been a mainstay of spill cleanups, but it’s both environmentally unsound and impractical. It takes a lot of clay to remove a spill — ten pounds for every one gallon of spilled oil, to be exact. Plus, it isn’t really an absorbent; spilled liquid simply coats the clay particles, meaning the hazardous material can easily be leaked or spilled again during the disposal process. Furthermore, clay poses respiratory dangers to those using it, and the material isn’t recyclable or renewable.

However, there are several affordable, earth-friendly alternatives to clay. Industrial absorbents made from renewable, recycled, or environmentally safe sources offer a solution for handling spill containment in a healthier, more effective, and ecologically sound way

Eco-friendly granular sorbent products

One option is to use granular sorbents. Made from recycled or natural material, these highly absorbent products make spill cleanup and disposal safe and easy:

  • Gran-sorb — With a one-to-one, weight-to-weight absorbency, it doesn’t take a lot of this fiber-based absorbent to soak up your non-aggressive liquids. It’s also made from 100% recycled post-consumer paper waste, and it’s 100% biodegradable, fire resistant, and free of hazardous materials.
  • Super Sorbent — This absorbent is environmentally safe, nontoxic, non-flammable, inorganic, and non-reactive. And to help you ensure you’re always prepared for any oil, coolant, solvent, or water spill, this product is packaged in separate cartons that can be placed throughout your facility.
  • Peat Moss Absorbent — Used exclusively for oils, this handy absorbent soaks up oil spills on any hard surface. It’s biodegradable and can be incinerated.
  • Corn Cob Absorbent — This universal absorbent is made from ground-up corn cobs, which hold approximately four times their weight in fluids. In addition to packing some major absorbing power, it’s also inert, nontoxic, biodegradable, and can be incinerated.

Absorbent socks offer an alternative to granular sorbents. A great option is the Corn Cob Absorbent Sock, which is composed of the same super-absorbent ground corn cobs that are in the granular sorbent, but are housed in a polypropylene skin. These absorbent socks are an economical option for handling non-aggressive fluids. The filler is recycled, organic, renewable, and boasts impressive soaking power: A 3 inches by 4 feet corn cob absorbent sock absorbs 1/2 gallon of liquid.

With so many environmentally friendly products available at budget-friendly prices, there’s no excuse not to “go green” when you’re selecting your industrial absorbents.

What Type of Spill Kit Do We Need?

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Red bucket containing cleaning supplies

If chemical liquids are used and stored onsite at your workplace, you need to have the right equipment and materials on hand to clean up leaks or spills.

A spill kit’s contents depend on the type of spills they will be used for — for example, oil-based, water-based, corrosive, or another material. Your workplace spill kit should include all the items you will need in the event of a spill. Spill kits can include any of the following:

Absorbent material

This absorbs and may also neutralize or contain the spill. Here are the types of absorbent material:

  • Universal or General Purpose: Usually gray, these absorbents are intended to clean up both water-based fluids and hydrocarbons.
  • Oil Only: These white absorbents that repel and float on water are used to clean up hydrocarbons only (motor oil, jet fuel, diesel, gasoline, hydraulic oil, etc.).
  • Hazmat: These yellow absorbents are used to clean up aggressive fluids, such as acids and solvents. Hazmat kits will absorb hydrocarbons as well as water-based fluids.

Other types of absorbent may need will depend on type and size of spill the absorbent will be used for — for example, acid neutralizer for an acid spill; or mercury solution for a mercury spill.

A bucket, plastic bags, or a drum or wheeled cart to hold debris.

Personal protective equipment such as gloves and safety glasses. Additional protective covering such as an apron, protective suit, respirator mask, or boot covers may be needed for certain chemicals.

Labels to mark hazardous waste containers.

When putting together a spill kit for your facility, consider these factors:

  • Are there specific regulations or requirements in your industry for how a spill should be cleaned? (Specifically, do industry standards prescribe certain materials for absorption and cleanup, as well as how to safely quarantine the area?)
  • Do you just need general-purpose kits for a variety of more benign spills, or do you need a spill kit specific to oil or aggressive fluids such as acids and solvents?
  • What is the maximum size of a spill you could face? Make sure your spill kit can accommodate this size.
  • Will the spill kits be stored inside or outside?

Make sure that all employees are aware of the location of the spill kits and how to use the cleanup items.

Note that even among spill kits of a specific type or purpose, not all kits contain the same quantity of items. Be sure to check how many pads, socks, and pillows are included, as well as whether goggles, gloves, or other safety items for employees are included. Not all kits are created equal.

Because spill kits are unique to the facility they’re in, a customized spill kit — such as those AbsorbentsOnline builds for our customers who request it — can help you ensure that you have the materials and equipment needed to quickly and safely clean up spills at your work site.