DONNY BEAVER
Oil-Only Sorbent Booms Lab Test
We tested oil-only sorbent booms to find out why they aren’t effective for long-term deployment in industrial retention ponds.
Oil-only floating sorbent booms have been used for decades to contain oil and fuel spills. For the most part, they do an OK job. Unfortunately, they are not a very effective tool for long-term deployment in industrial retention ponds for two reasons:
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They don’t wick the oil sheen into the inner fibers
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They get dirty “looking” on the outside and get tossed too soon
Testing Our Absorbent Boom Theory in the Lab
We grabbed the dirtier-looking boom (see photos below) from the garbage to prove our theory. It had been discarded after a couple of months of use because the portion in contact with the water appeared saturated with the oil sheen.
We can understand the contractor’s concern to remove a boom that appeared saturated. However, instead of tossing it, we think they should have turned it around 180 degrees and put the clean boom in touch with the dirty water. The series of photos below reveals our forensic findings.
The contractor discarded this boom because it looked dirty. The 18″ section on the top left of the photo and the whole circumference of the boom appears saturated with oil.
We cut out the dirtiest-looking section of the boom for evaluation. To the untrained eye, it looked “spent.”
As we peeled away the outer layer, we noticed it was completely filthy. But we also observed that the oil-sorbent fibers just beneath the surface were white as snow.
The Results. 99% of the Absorbent Boom was Wasted.
Our tests confirmed our suspicions. Traditional oil-only sorbent booms may help contain some of the oil sheen in industrial ponds. However, they do not absorb oil into the inner fibers. As a result, 99% of the oil boom is wasted. In addition, expensive labor and disposal costs are spent changing out and disposing of the poorly functioning booms.
SpillBoa® vs Traditional Spill Containment Booms
Engineered for rapid containment and clean-up of oil spills on land or water, SpillBoa® Spill Containment Booms are super absorbent, unlike standard overstuffed booms. See the comparison photos below.
Shop SpillBoa® Spill Containment Booms
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