Friday 28 January 2011

How to Use an Oil Absorbent Boom - A Highly Effective Tool for Oil Spill Clean-Up


Do you have to clean up oil spills, especially on water, as part of your job? Or do need to be prepared for any number of reasons? Read on for the scoop on the oil absorbent boom, one of the most effective tools to clean up oil spills fast (and on what else you need to do).
How do oil spills on water happen?
There are a number of possibilities, from leaky engines, to toppled gas canisters to a variety of accidents. And accidents don't have to involve just boats or ships, but they can also be air planes that have crash-landed on water and are now contaminating the water. And, of course, oil drilling facilities -- though if there is a big problem with oil wells, you will need a lot more than just a few oil absorbent booms.
So let's stick to the more manageable oil spills and how to handle them
As you know, oil floats on water -- where it will spread very quickly. So before you even deploy your oil absorbent booms, you may want to get the other kind of oil booms -- the non-absorbent kind, to keep the oil spill contained.
Use those to surround the entire oil-spill area to hold in the oil. Then throw in your oil absorbent booms that will absorb the oil. Once they have soaked up their fill, you can remove them and replace them with more booms.
It's a messy affair, and not cheap, but the damage that oil inflicts on the environment calls for whatever effort is needed to clean things up.
What you need to know about the oil absorbent boom
You should also know that these booms are sometimes referred to as marine booms, sea booms, ocean booms, sorbent booms, or oil spill booms.
Obviously they're designed for use in water. High quality booms will float on water even if they're saturated, and they also indicate clearly when that is the case so you can replace them with fresh booms -- without wasting capacity of the original booms.
But that's not all they're good for. You can also use them on land. The one thing you need to know is that they only work for oil-based and hydrocarbon-based chemicals, including fuel, oil, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel and more. This means that they will repel water, which is why they work as well as they do.
How to select the right oil absorbent boom
When you're shopping for your booms, be sure that they comply with Federal regulations. They do come in several sizes, so you'll be able to get just the right oil absorbent boom (or booms) for your needs.
Want to know more about choosing the right oil absorbent boom? Find more information and all the latest absorbents and other environmental and industrial safety products on Travis Zdrazil's Absorbents Online website and get his FREE newsletter too. Travis is an expert on environmental safety products and has supplied businesses with products to aid in meeting EPA and OSHA requirements for more than 10 years.
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