When you clean up an oil spill, chemical spill, or other type of spill, you want to avoid or minimize environmental damage. Thatโs why itโs important to make sure that the absorbent material you use to clean a spill up doesnโt add to the ecological hazards created by spilled substances.
Take clay, for example. Clay has long been a mainstay of spill cleanups, but itโs both environmentally unsound and impractical. It takes a lot of clay to remove a spill โ ten pounds for every one gallon of spilled oil, to be exact. Plus, it isnโt 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 isnโt 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 โ With a one-to-one, weight-to-weight absorbency, it doesnโt take a lot of this fiber-based absorbent to soak up your non-aggressive liquids. Itโs also made from 100% recycled post-consumer paper waste, and itโs 100% biodegradable, fire resistant, and free of hazardous materials.
- Super Sorbent โ This absorbent is environmentally safe, nontoxic, non-flammable, inorganic, and non-reactive. And to help you ensure youโre 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 โ Used exclusively for oils, this handy absorbent soaks up oil spills on any hard surface. Itโs biodegradable and can be incinerated.
- Corn Cob Absorbent โ 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, itโs 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, thereโs no excuse not to โgo greenโ when youโre selecting your industrial absorbents.