Many shops, including mine, use the typical clay oil absorbent to clean oil spills on the floor. I use it frequently and have it disposed of along with used oil filters and contaminted oils. But there is one other product I use that I thought I would pass along. When your out in the field, maybe have a machine that busted a hydraulic line and it dumped oil on the ground, not a good thing. You could use clay absorbent to clean up the spill, but it's not very effective outdoors on the ground. But this stuff is. It's called Peat Sorb, a natural peat product. The unique thing about it is that it has an insatiable appetite for hydrocarbons, all types of fuels and oils. It literally absorbs and encapsulates hydrocarbons, will never let go of them. And best of all, will not absorb even a drop of water. You could have a diesel spill on water, scatter this stuff on the water, and it will absorb the diesel and float on the water. Rain has no effect on it. Since it won't absorb water, rain can't wash the absorbed oil out of it. It also passed T.C.L.P. test meaning it can be disposed of in landfills even after it's been used as an absorbent. I keep a bag of it on my service truck at all times to clean spills on jobsites. It is more expensive than typical clay absorbent, but not even close to the cost of contaminated soil cleanup. http://www.peatsorb.com/index.html
Caterpillar stopped all of their dealers from using dry sweep. It was apart of their contamination control. We now use absorbent pads. They are more expensive but work very well. They only suck up oils and they hold alot. They are also good for stuffing into machines to suck up spilled oil. We also use air powered vacuums to suck up oil and regularly mop the floor or wash it with a floor scrubber. Our shop is alot cleaner than it used to be 5 years ago.
My shop floor is still dirt,spilled oil goes back to where it came from
oil sands,eh?
Actually, that makes a lot of sense Bison, to me anyway. Problem is, there is not only folks that don't share that view, but eviro laws become stricter and more expensive every year. I posted this thread to give wrenches that go out in the field to work on busted equipment that has puked oil on the ground an option to contain the spilled oil, it is a big deal when it happens within the sight of enviro authorities. Also applies to a business like ours that has a gravel yard full of equipment. We can ill afford a bunch of oil slicks on the yard and, being a business, have an EPA rep stop by and spot them. Next thing ya know there'll be excavators, tyvek suits, and plastic bag lined dump trucks show up, big bill to follow. :yup Here's an example of using Peat Sorb. Boss went to load a D65EX-12 on lowboy. It busted a transmission hose. He ran it off the trailer and immediately shut it down. But sure enough, oil running out of the bottom of it. I got the hose off late Thursday evening, put replacement hose on Friday morning. Had to add about ten gal of oil to tranny. Started the machine and moved it off top of the spilled oil, covered it with Peat Sorb. Came in to do some work on Saturday and applied more to areas of spill that were heavy with absorbed oil. Here's a pic of the spill on the gravel. It's kinda hard to tell in a photo, but the heavy absorbed oil spots are dark brown, the drier portion in the center is the light brown color of Peat Sorb that's not saturated with oil. So first thing this morning, Monday, I covered the spill with more to keep absorbing in the saturated spots. By noon, it started a drizzle of rain, by afternoon, pretty much a steady very light rain. I stopped by the spill on the way out to go home for the evening to look it over. The whole spill was pretty much covered with rainwater except for a few high gravel spots. I looked very closely at the water on the spill as well as puddles around it, I saw very little evidence of oil sheen on the puddles. I'm telling y'all, this stuff grabs ahold of oil and doesn't let it go. If you have to contain a spill out in the field, the cost of this stuff just might save you a big pile of money from haz mat cleanup charges.
Would you like to order it by the dumptruck load Atco?
You get the price right ya old buzzard and I'll call ya in a PO # tomorrow. Bah ha ha haha. :tong
I hear ye about oil spills and environuts. Digging up all the dirt in a spill and burying it in an other place don't make no sense to me either.All it does is make big economie for some and near bankrupty for the victem Spill oil in the field,2 yrs later it grows like heck there,same with diesel. Spill fertilizer and it won't grow in that spot for many years. Funny,crude in the ground is considdered all natural,spill it back on the ground it becomes pollution. You go figger :beatsme Spills In the waterways is a diff matter though.
Atco is there a local supplier or do you buy direct from them? looks like a great product i use the "Pig blankets" now but will try this stuff
That's the neat thing about this stuff Bison, very large spills notwithstanding, if you spill some oil or fuel on water, you can cast this stuff on it and it will absorb and encapsulate the oil/fuel. It floats on water. I get it from the folks that carry off my waste oil and oil filters. It's not cheap, I'm thinking like 35 to 40 for large bag. Seems like a lot, but when I hear horror stories of how much enviro clean up costs...no comparison. And it way out performs clay absorbents and pig pads for oil that is already spilled on the ground.
Atco--looks like the cat's ass so I called them up,the manufacturer explained what I already read on your link and he said a local distributor will be a calling soon. Thanks.
I've been using it for some time now tuney, I must say I'm impressed by the results it gives. Biggest challenge Peat Sorb has is windy conditions. It is so lightweight, it's difficult to apply to a spill if the wind is stiff. But hey, nothings perfect. :tong
Hmm...I got plenty of that dry dusty peat in a dried up muskeg,maybe its one and the same thing. Got to try that!
I doubt it very much Bison.The guy told me it's a very special Sphagnum type peat moss that only grows in like 5 areas of the world.It is completely unlike other peat moss in that water sheds away from it.
:drinkupWe been using corn cob media. Bought a skid of it to sand blast brick on a job. We had a broken bag of it laying by the shop door and it sucked up all the rain water coming in.... so i have been using it ever since. Its pretty cheap at about $9.00 for a 50lb bag (this bag is much bigger than it sounds) It is cleaner than oil dry and sweeps up better. Plus it is alot lighter weight.
Having said all that about the peat-sorb and other products soaking up the oil. What do you do afterwards with the oil soaked stuff?
Is this peat stuff your using OSHA acceptable? Will it burn and is it a fire hazard. The clay based product was developed because of a factory fire where saw dust was used to absorb oil and caught fire with a great loss of life. I have seen peat piles on fire before and ask because OSHA freaks out if you use saw dust as a oil absorbing product....... Dont ask how I know Finely screened bark mulch also makes a great floor dry but is flammable.
This might answer your questions some--right from their site: SPECIAL FEATURES: Complete encapsulation of hydrocarbons Non Leaching Picks up hydrocarbons ON WATER as well as on land Suppresses flammable vapors Is approved SEG Incinerable
As for the oil soaked clay product I use in the shop, the company I use to process and dispose of waste oil and oil filters takes care of that. As for the Peat Sorb I use on outdoor spills, I don't know all the details and how far the product goes in being acceptable for disposal, but the maker of Peat Sorb claims it meets the EPA TLCP test for disposal in landfills. Kinda government gobblety gook, but here's a short brief discussing the TLCP test for measuring a waste material for how much it leaches contaminants. http://www.ehso.com/cssepa/TCLP.htm Not sure about it being flammable dry or soaked with oil, might just have to investigate that. But I use this product as an oil spill containment and removal media. The fire hazard outdoor is less of a worry for me than a heafty invoice for contaminated soil remidiation.
Personally I’m happy to say I’ve ditched my clay products altogether. switched over to a new one called SpillFix that’s landfill safe, dust free, nonhazardous…it’s made my life so much easier considering how often cars inevitably cause problems in a garage! It’s not the only one I use but it’s a pretty nice multipurpose tool to have. Looks like it’s pretty similar to Peat Sorb overall though. It’s nice to see more and more options other than kitty litter type cleaner, at least.
Atco what does it cost to get rid of your oil filters? Or do they take them for free because of geting to by your used oil. I also wonder if you crush them if they can be sold as scrap iron?
I can't remember what the cost is Old Doug, that ticket goes to the book keeper. I do have a company that takes my waste oil, filters, antifreeze, any oil type waste, just don't recall what we pay for the service. The way the EPA laws are about contamination anymore, I don't like the risks, I like having a service take care of that for me.
If used oil is worth as much there as it is here they should be paying you. I know alot of small shops here their filters end up in the land fill. I have thought about starting a service to pick them up if i can crush them and sell them for scrap iron.
"Here", we don't pay for used oil disposal. Have a company that supplied us with 55 gal drums with lids to throw the filters in. We have an older 200 gal tank in the back of the shop that the used oil goes in. When we are full (or when they are in the area), they stop by and swap drums for an empty, pump out the tank, etc. Rules for burning used oil are getting tighter here. Also many shops don't want to be bothered with it because the maintenance cost on the furnace is higher. (Maybe they need to filter better???) Andrew
Hey man, that seems like a really good product - kind of sounds like something I use a lot. I keep a bag of SpillFix around to clean the fuel spills at my place. Have you ever heard of it?
We use pig brand absorbance pads. They are more expensive upfront but the cleanup is alot faster and alot less contamination. I think it's cheaper in long run when you figure clean up cost and possible repair failure due to contamination. They make great toolbox liners
Not sure if you can get away with it in your area, but I burn my filters out. Then the scrap dealers will buy them for sheet metal price. I don't use Cat filters, so not sure what you would do with those.
Peat will probably make a great fire starter after it soaks up oil. Yeah, the diatomite won't burn, but let me tell ya, if it's got oil or fuel in it, it makes a great wick!
I turn the oil filters upside down and let them drain for a few days over an oil catch pan and throw them in with my scrap. I put air filters in also. Never had scrap yard complain. I kept up with it this year, I got over 2k dollars in stuff we use to throw away.
I wonder if they could get Capt. Joe Hazelwood (of Exxon Valdez fame) to be their pitchman. Now that would be an infomercial worth watching.
I don't like peat-sorb for cleaning up oil anywhere. It mostly makes a mess and it terrible for getting it all picked back up. Usually it still looks like there was a spill due to the peat laying everywhere. I used to be a big fan of the socks, pads, and pillows(Name your fav brand), but if you ever throw them in a bag, the petroleum leaks right back out of them. I do like that the petroleum specific ones don't absorb water though! The only thing I have found that won't let the oil drain back out is a product by Oil Solutions. They have a website: www.cleaningupoil.com . Pretty neat stuff. And no, I don't work for them, but I have recently started trying out their products. They have a liquid and a powder.
Our used oil service picks up our filters for free, pays us per gallon for the used oil.