Guardian Environmental Technologies Blog

Cleanup the oil sheen with SheenGuard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although it seems like the BP well is finally under control and no longer leaking into the gulf, there is still a massive task ahead to clean up the oil that has washed into the shallow water regions along the Gulf. Guardian's exclusive "Blanket-Boom" products are specifically designed to absorb and permanently contain the thin film of oil that always remains even after the skimmers are done. SheenGuard blanket- booms have a much larger surface area for absorbtion than round booms. In fact on a per foot calculation, a 24" section will have the same surface area as 8, 24" sections of 5" sorbent booms at a cost of about $2.00 per foot, about 28% cost saving. More importantly, SheenGuard blanket booms are filled with PetroGuard D that permanently solidifies the oil and will not allow the oil to leach or leak back into the water. They can be left in place for long periods of time where sheens are present.

Pillows are clipped together to form the blanket and is the ideal situation for backwater areas.Contact Guardian Environmental Technologies at info@guardianenvironmental.com or call 860 350 2200.

PetroGuard Solidifying Absorbent Not Being Used. Why?

PetroGuard is probably one of the easiest and quickest EPA approved solutions to at least part of the problem. Oil that has made its way into the calmer inland waters and shore areas could be easily and quickly treated with PetroGuard which would instantly absorb and solidify any oil it comes in contact with. Why is solidification important? Because once absorbed, the oil becomes a solid rubber matrix that will never again release oil, even under pressure. See our video of how PetroGuard quickly and permanently turns crude oil into a manageable solid. This solidified oil can then be collected and disposed of safely and cheaply. Why will BP not pay attention?

Oil Spill Solidifier

WATCH THIS VIDEO

 

 

 THERE IS A SOLUTION TO THE GULF OIL SPILL

Guardian Environmental Technologies offers an immediate solution to the Gulf oil spill that would save hundreds of thousands of dollars, reduce the cleanup time and help save the  precious fishing grounds along the coast. PetroGuard is a polymeric oil spill solidifier that is applied directly to the oil floating on the surface. The oil is instantly solidified and remains floating until it is scooped up and removed. The resulting floating matrix is will not contaminate anything it touches. It can be safely handled and will not release the captured oil in the way conventional absorbents do. If the solidified oil washes up on the beach it will not harm the environment and can be easily collected and disposed of. PetroGuard has a 400% by weight absorption capability meaning one gallon of PetroGuard will absorb and lock up about 4 gallons of oil.

Anyone having a contact with BP one of the regulatory agencies should be contacted to alert them about this technology.

Please contact us at info@guardianenvironmental.com

PetroGuard and Fire Fighting Foam

Emergency spill response to reactive or other hazardous and explosive liquid spills creates a situation that must be responded to quickly and easily. PetroGuard solidifying hyper-immobilizing absorbent is the ideal product to use with vapor suppressing foam products. Most water based foams will initiate a cloud of acid vapor when applied to reactive chemicals. This can be avoided if the spilled chemical is first treated with PetroGuard and then blanketed with Universal Gold. The PetroGuard will instantly solidify the liquid chemical or other hydrocarbon locking the material at the molecular level without creating a chemical reaction, because the process is physical not chemical.

National Fire Protection Association NFPA 11 Standard for Low, Medium, High expansion foams, Chapter 5, Section 5.2.4.3.1 " Water-soluble and certain flammable and combustible liquids and polar solvents that are destructive to regular (non alcohol-resistant) foams shall use alcohol-resistant foams."

Many of our customers are successfully using PetroGuard and foam this way when responding to reactive chemical spills, and have made it part of their company response plans. EHS professionals and response personnel are encouraged to consider this combination as a way to simplify spill response methods and prevent or minimize accidental release of toxic vapors.

Please Contact us for more information.

Don't just absorb spills - PetroGuard them!

When responding to hazardous chemical and oil spills, using conventional absorbents just doesn't do the trick. PetroGuard on the other hand will lock up the spill, prevent further migration, drastically reduce or eliminate vapor production and allow you to pick up the chemical or oil easily and quickly as solid. This holds true for a water or land environment. Cost to absorb and solidify a gallon of hazardous liquid chemical is about $3.50.

Disposal is cheap and safe, costing an average of about $375 for a 55 gallon drum  of treated chemicals weighing approximately 400 lbs. Incineration is the recommended way since it is cleaner and more environmentally friendly than landfilling.

PetroGuard your spills, don't just absorb them!

Port Arthur Oil Spill

The Port Arthur Texas oil spill cleanup operations are being carried out in the traditional method of using containment booms and oil skimmers. While this is an accepted methodology, there is a technology available that would greatly enhance the cleanup results and truly remove the floating oil and sheens from the water surface without the use of surfactants (detergents). This technique is classified as "Advanced Absorption Technology" and the commercial product that is most appropriate is PetroLite for oil spills. Containment booms and skimmers are not 100% effective in capturing floating oil. Alternatively, PetroLite will instantly immobilize and solidify any floating oil that is comes in contact with. Any further ecological damage is thereby prevented, cleanup operations are greatly simplified and associated cost savings become very apparent. PetroLite is listed by the USEPA as appropriate for use on water or land. Cleanup contractors and the U.S. Coast Guard and the Texas General Land Office should have a keen interest in this technology. 

For more information, contact Guardian Environmental Technologies here. 

 

View video demonstration of PetroLite used on crude oil spills on water.

Use of dispersants for oil spills.

Icy oil spill easier to clean, scientists say (from Anchorage Daily News)

CONTRADICTORY: Research funded by oil interests conflicts with conventional wisdom.

(Scientists funded by Shell and six other oil companies) said "that oil spilled in open water tends to spread out quickly over large areas and contaminate the shoreline. In contrast, recent testing in the Barents Sea above northern Europe has shown that ice can act as a natural blockade that traps the oil and gives responders more time to clean it up. The researchers said they discharged crude oil in broken and slushy ice off the northern coast of Norway. Though it isn't illegal here, such experiments have never been approved in U.S. waters.

Cumulatively, the researchers spilled 5,944 gallons of oil on the ice, according to an interim report on the tests.

The study didn't look at the environmental impact of spills in the Arctic. In other industry-funded studies, SINTEF and some researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks are still studying the potential toxic effects of oil on Arctic species."

Dispersants consist normally of one or more surfactants. The use of dispersants (detergents similar to dishwashing soap) are very popular with the oil companies, because they are cheap, easy to apply (pour into the water or onto the ice) and make the oil seem to disappear, like in your kitchen sink. What actually happens is that the dispersant (as in spread out) converts the spill into tiny droplets in suspension that seem invisible to the naked eye. That of course makes the amateur environmentalist happy because it is no longer an eyesore. However the real truth is that a detergent is known to be toxic. Detergents will dissolve the natural oils of sea birds and cause them to sink and drown. The toxic effects of the detergents are well known to be harmful. If one were to take a sample of water after treating an oil spill with dispersants, and measure the parts per million toxicity or presence of oil in the water, it would quickly be evident that the parts were far in excess of what is considered safe for human or animal consumption (fresh water of course since we don't drink seawater, but you get the point).

A far better alternatives to dispersants are solidifying polymeric absorbents, that permanently lock up the oil (molecules) so that the oil no longer is a liquid pollutant, even if it comes in contact with wildlife or plants. The resulting solid matrix will float indefinitely and can be allowed to drift ashore as a non-polluting solid and then easily collected for disposal without exposing workers or the environment to the liquid oil. We all remember the pictures of the workers trying to use paper towels to mop up the Exxon Valedez oil spill. However, although the oil companies are aware of these new products, they ignore them because they are more expensive to buy and store for responding to a spill which is why they opt for the detergent approach, claiming it is easier.This does not take into consideration the damage to the environment using disperants or doing nothing.

 

This is a still from a video presentation from our website showing the solidification process that you may view in its entirety by selecting this link.

 

 

Truth in making claims

Many marketers of absorbent products will make exaggerated claims about the effectiveness of their product over others. The problem is that they rarely if ever provide substantive evidence to support their claims. Many will give you a capacity figure: "our product will absorb 32 gallons of oil" without giving you the numbers of how they did the math. Many will also claim their product "solidifies" oils and other hydrocarbons, but that generally means the oil is absorbed into a porous structure of some form of polypropylene product or natural fiber or cellulose. Polypro is the most prevalent sorbent used today, but not necessarily the most effective. It's low cost is deceiving however. It does not take into account the amount of oil or other pollutants left behind or that leak out of the absorbent when it is saturated. This means more time or man hours spent to complet the job. Others claim that their "natural fiber" absorbs better and faster than any other method, but don't tell you that the liquid pollutant is absorbed into the cell structure of the plant it came from, and is not truly "locked". This means that if you apply pressure to the absorbent after is is "saturated", the liquid it absorbed will be released. It is physically impossible to claim this is "solidification" because the cells will rupture under pressure releasing the liquid. The principle is similar to what happens to a sponge and water. Squeeze it and you get water!

Then there are the mineral based absorbents that range from a cat litter type of product used in almost every garage or machine shop around the world to very specialized products that are narrowly designed to be effective for certain pollutants and very cheap. However the problem remains that they can release liquid once absorbed because the liquid resides in tiny capillaries or spaces in the mineral and is really adsorption rather than absorption. When these sorbents are then dumped into landfills with regular trash, they present a hazard to the environment due to leaching.

The true solidification process can only happen when using a polymeric solidier. Again, certain claims are made here that require a degree of skepticism. The maximum absorption capacity of these types of products will never be more than 4 times the weight of the polymer. Any claims beyond that are probably exaggerated.

True solidification using polymeric absorbents is a process that not only absorbs large quantities of liquid hydrocarbon by weight, but also traps and locks the liquid into it's own structure forming a solid, making the release of liquids during handling and transportation impossible. This advantage allows for safer handling especially for hazardous chemicals. In addition, this process will drastically reduce or eliminate formation of vapor that creates explosive or reactive hazards to the operator. The economic advantages to this type of product (true solidification) cuts operational man hours, reduces the personal risks in responding to chemical spills and makes disposal easier. Please contact us for more information on our Advanced Absorption Technology.