Do you worry about oil spills? You're right to be concerned. Oil spills can cause big problems for the environment and even at your facility. Fortunately, there are highly effective tools for containing and cleaning them up quickly.
And those tools, of course, are oil spill booms. They're great for absorbing large amounts of oil, when sprinkling on some absorbent simply won't cut it, and even pads and pillows are woefully inadequate.
The cool thing about oil spill booms is also that they only absorb oil. This means that if you find yourself with an oil spill on a body of water, you can put them into action and they will absorb the oil while repelling the water.
And since oil is lighter than water, they will float as well, which means that they'll help contain the oil spill if you strategically place them all around the spill. And they will do so even when they're filled to the brim with oil.
So if you have an oil spill on water, or a spill of any other hydrocarbon based chemical including fuel or diesel, oil booms will help save the day. But what if you have a big spill on land? You can still use them. They'll work just as well on land.
Basically, they're giant sausage-shaped contraptions with a highly absorbent polypropylene filler held together by a tough outer mesh skin. They work by basically absorbing any oil or hydrocarbon based liquid or chemical they come in contact with.
For extra stability and in order to allow stringing the booms together, a nylon rope runs all the way though each boom, and they also have carbon steel connectors. That way, you can string together as many or as few booms as you need to contain the spill. And once they've done their job, that linking system also makes them easy to retrieve.
Ready to add some oil booms to your absorbent equipment? As you go shopping for them, you may want to know that they are also sometimes referred to by a series of other names, including marine booms, marina and sorbent booms, sea and ocean booms in addition to their regular name.
You should also know that even though they're fantastic for handling all sorts of hydrocarbon based liquids, including oil, fuel, diesel, and yes, even kerosene and jet fuel, they're not suitable for aggressive fluids including acids, and they won't work for water based chemicals either.
But when it comes to skimming oil from water, they're the perfect solution. And they're great for spills on all sorts of bodies of water, including of course the ocean, but also ponds, streams, rivers, and even waste water troughs. And if you have a fuel spill on land, they'll handle that as well. They're a must have for any facilities and construction sites near water, as well as for marinas.
Want to know more about oil spill booms? Get valuable tips and the latest news about absorbents and other environmental safety products on Travis Zdrazil's Safety Maintenance News blog 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. You may publish this article, but must keep the resource box ©2009 PCI Products Company. All rights reserved. |
