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Absorbent Materials
February 2008
The TIM Team are always keen to hear about what is working well for incident responders on the network. In this case, Mark Clark from the South East Network Access and Resilience Team has brought the use of absorbent materials to our attention, after the use of a product called Zorb was raised at a cold debrief. The Area 5 Service Provider, Mouchel Parkman, felt that the use of similar absorbent materials in clearing up spillages on the network was beneficial and that it could be deemed 'good practice'.
What are absorbent materials and how do you use them?
There are many proprietary absorbent materials that can be used to clear up fuel and oil spills from the carriageway. Zorb, for example, is made from crushed pine cones which allegedly assists the bioremediation (the addition of microbes to clean up toxic wastes) of the spill as opposed to simply clearing it up. If an absorbent simply encapsulates the fuel or oil it does not remove the problem but does prevent the spill getting in to watercourses. Zorb claims to not only absorb the spill but promote the growth of certain bacteria to breakdown the fuel / oil over time.
The product comes in bags and is spill specific to fuel or oil. It is deployed in a similar manner to most absorbents with it being spread across the spillage. Additionally, it can be used to form an outer barrier to contain a spill and prevent larger spills from spreading.
Product class review
During the research of this article it became evident that there are many different spill kit materials on the market and being used on the network by different Service Providers. In the near future the TIM Bulletin will be running an article looking at the various materials on the market and comparing them. There will be no recommendation within the article but it will endeavour to set out the pro and cons for each.
If you are already using a specific product to clear up spills and you feel it is worthy of inclusion in the review then please email TIMbulletin@highways.gsi.gov.uk.
Has this article been worthwhile reading? Why not take a moment to send us your comments, thoughts or questions. Please e-mail TIMbulletin@highways.gsi.gov.uk.
