Introduction to Sorbents

What to do when a spill occurs

Brady Middle East

Farah Montenegro (Local Product Expert)
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 About SPC Brand

 Leading line of synthetic sorbent materials

 Sold in 55 countries around the world
 Recognized for quality, price and innovation
 Global support
 Part of the Brady group since 2007

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 We help to make the world a cleaner and
safer place !

Why are clean, dry workplace floors important ?

 Leading cause of workplace injuries: Slips, Trips & Falls

 Result in an avg. of 11 days away from work

 $40,000 average cost per incident

 Nearly 70% are on a flat surface

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 How SPC Absorbents Work

 100% Polypropylene
 Unique Characteristics
 Will not absorb water – hydrophobic
 It floats – less dense than water
 Chemical resistance – can be treated with a surfactant which allows it to
safely absorb ANY chemical - hydrophilic

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 Highly Adsorbent

 Adsorbs 12 to 25 times its weight depending on the liquid

 Clay granules = 1.5x their weight
 MBPP products have a tremendous amount of Surface Area to which
liquids will naturally adhere (adsorb)

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 Highly Adsorbent - New

 Close up of an UNUSED Pad

 Magnified at 50X  Magnified at 500X

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 Highly Adsorbent - Used

 Close up of a SATURATED Pad

 Magnified at 50X  Magnified at 500X

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 Granulars vs MBPP

200 L Granulars Adsorption pads

Consumption 200kg 10kg

Cost / Kg 1.0 €/kg 15.0 €/Kg

Total Kg waste 400kg (200L+200kg) 210kg (200L+10kg)

Disposal Cost 0.5€/kg 0.5€/kg

Total Cost 400€ (200€ + 200€) 255€ (150€ + 105€)

This is a profit of 36.3% !!!

Cost of labor not included yet !!!

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 Product Overview

 Core Colors
 White (Oil Only)
 Grey (Universal)
 Green (Chemical)

 Core Configurations
 Pad
 Roll
 SOC
 Pillow
 Boom

 Three weights
 Light
 Medium
 Heavy

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 Colours : White products

 White = Oil only sorbents

 Will only adsorb oil and petroleum based liquids
 Will not absorb water based liquids
 Can be used outdoors as they will not absorb water

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Best for Oil Spills Outdoors & On Waterways

Oil Only Pads, Rolls & Booms

White in Color
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 Colours : Grey products

 Grey = Maintenance /Universal sorbents

 Will absorb a variety of industrial liquids including oil, water, solvents,
coolants, etc
 Can not be left outdoors as they will absorb water

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 Colours : Green products

 Green = Chemical sorbents

 Will only absorb a wide range of chemicals, including acids and
caustics
 Chemically inert : product does not degrade or cause a dangerous
chemical reaction with the adsorbed liquid
 Green colour alerts that product is being used for hazardous liquids
 Green colour allows user to identify and separate hazardous waste
for disposal, resulting in lower disposal costs
 Can not be left outdoors as they will absorb water

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 Formats : pads

 For smaller, well located spills

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 Formats : rolls

 For larger spills

 On workbenches, larger surfaces to protect
 Next to/underneath machines to catch overspray

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 Formats : SOCs

 SOCs are dependable, flexible tubes that contain and absorb liquids
 Mold around corners and conform to uneven surfaces

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 Formats : pillows

 Pillows are ideal for use under the bottom of spill pallets or machines
that drip or leak
 Use in hard-to-reach places, easy to retrieve

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 Weights

 Three Weights (190gsm to 365gsm)

 Heavy Weight
 Medium Weight
 Light Weight

 Why the Different Weights?

 Absorbency
 Price Points

Note: No industry standard for weight classifications.

To compare, must really look at the bale weight.

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Spill Barriers

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Spill containment

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 How to use your sorbent in the most
economical way

• Use perforated pads/rolls → only tear off the required quantity

• Use the correct weight of pads/rolls

Sorbents are being used in high traffic area

→ choose a tough sorbent like Battlemat to
get durability and high absorbency.
Need for even tougher : SIR or BSM rugs

Too much sorbent for the application

→ save some money by choosing a medium or
lightweight pad like the MRO300-E or GP200-M

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10 Step Action Plan in case of a spill

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 What to do when a Spill occurs

If you are NOT familiar with the liquid and its chemical
properties, vacate the area and contact proper authorities.

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1. Risk Assessment

• Evaluate the type of material spilled

• Identify the source!
• Take action to Secure the area
• Make sure only authorized people are at the scene of the
incident.
• Determine what has happened – what has leaked out and
approximately how much has been discharged.

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2. Protective Clothing

• Locate the closest spill kit.

• Wear the appropriate protective gear for the situation.
• Start by wearing protective clothing in ways of gloves,
goggles, body suits and eventual breathing apparatus
if required
• If the material is not identifiable - Assume the worst.

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3. Containment

• Contain the liquid and prevent further

contamination
• Seal Drains
• Protect Waterways
• SPC Mini-booms (Soc’s), SPC drain-
covers and spill barriers are very
effective for containing spills

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4. Stop the Source

• Close valves
• Rotate punctured drums
• Plug leaks where it is possible and safe
to do so.

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5. Begin Clean Up

• Use SPC sorbents to absorb spilt liquids.

• Materials used include sorbents in forms of pads, rolls, mini-
booms, pillows.
• Additional materials frequently used include containment
booms and skimmers when the spill reaches the waterway. A
loose weight absorbent could also be considered for some spills

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6. Contact Authorities

• Follow your Plant Procedures to Report the spill

to your HSE Manager & proper authorities.

Be sure to fill out all necessary reports.

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7. Disposal of used material

• Absorbent materials take on the characteristic of

what ever they absorb.
• Be sure to dispose of used absorbents and spilt
liquids in accordance with local laws.

8. Decontaminate
•Clean all tools and reusable materials properly
before reuse.

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9. Restock Materials

• Replace absorbent materials and safety

equipment used in any cleanup operation

• It may not seem important at the time, but it will

become very important if another spill occurs and
there is insufficient stock of materials for
containment and clean up.

• It is comparable to having a fire and not having

a fire extinguisher on hand.

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10. Review Contingency Plans and
Procedures!

•Are they sufficient? Did our plan work?

•Do we have enough material and equipment to handle

the situation? Remember Plan for the worst! What do
we need to correct?

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Questions?

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