Environmentally friendly polymer turns oils into solids for cheap and swift removal and reuse
WITH budgets tightening, environmental regulations growing and both the actual and reputational costs of mishandling hydrocarbon spills bearing down on companies, trials are set to begin soon that could radically change the way in which many industries protect and dispose of oil and other liquid hydrocarbon waste.
UK Power Networks, the UK’s largest public utility, will be trialling the installation of a pollution prevention system that replaces large concrete bunds and all the associated costs, risks, lengthy installation procedures and oily water management which they currently involve, with a simple ‘green’ polymer product from C.I.Agent Solutions.
Mark Dunk, UK Power Networks’ civil standards manager, commented: ‘It’s a legal requirement that we have secondary containment to prevent oil getting into the ground. We’ll be monitoring this carefully and if it’s as good as we hope it is, I will be pushing for us to use it more widely. I’m hopeful that this is a really good opportunity for us to save money.’
The key product designed, manufactured and installed by C.I.Agent Solutions involves a special polymer which turns oil, diesel and other hydrocarbon waste into a non-leaching solid that can be swiftly, easily and cheaply collected and re-used for road-building materials or burned for energy generation.
The installation which UK Power Networks is trialling, and which is being watched closely by many other utilities and industries, costs approximately two-thirds the price of a concrete bund installation, takes up to 12 working days as opposed to eight working weeks to install, and requires no ongoing maintenance of oily water separators.
C.I.Agent Solutions’ managing director, Ross Atkin (pictured), said: ‘We are very proud to be working with UK Power Networks in what we expect will be a transforming installation process. It’s a classic win-win for everyone. It’s cheaper to buy, cheaper and swifter to install, and the end result can be re-used. Most importantly, it’s an environmentally sound product involving no harmful waste.’
C.I.Agent Solutions are currently offering another unique product they have designed and introduced to industry over the last 12 months. Being used by utilities and civil and highway construction teams in and around site works and water and drainage systems, Green Rhino is a sediment filtration system which reduces silt, sediment and hydrocarbons to non-detect levels.
