Chemical Engineering July 2011 - 22

WHAT MAKES A SPILL HAZARDOUS?
RECEIVE
FULL ACCESS
A
ccording to Spill King, a spill is generally considered hazardous waste if it contains
any of the following characteristics:
* Ignitable: A flash point of less than 140°F (60°C)
* Corrosive: A pH of less than or equal to 2.0, or greater than or equal to 12.5, or corrodes
steel at a rate greater than 6.35 mm per year at 55°C
* Reactive: Unstable, reacts violently with water; is sufficiently cyanide or sulfide bearing
to produce toxic gas; is capable of detonations or forms potentially explosive mixtures
with water
* Toxic: If the material tests positive and is above a certain concentration for 39 contaminants
that the EPA has listed in Federal regulations (for example, certain pesticides,
benzene, heavy metals, such as lead or mercury) and halogenated organic
substances, such as pentrachloro phenol and trichloroethylene
New Pig
absorbent will have to go to either a
hazardous or non-hazardous waste
landfill, depending on regulatory classification.
Usually hazardous waste
landfills require non-biodegradable
absorbents so they don't break down
in the landfill and release the toxin,
while biodegradable absorbents are
preferable for non-hazardous material
because they create less waste in
the landfill.
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FIGURE 4. Knowing what types of
liquids you're dealing with will clue you
in to the types of absorbents or spill kits
you need on hand
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Iuzzolino suggests the first consideration
is the liquids stored in the facility.
" Knowing what types of liquids
you're dealing with will clue you in to
the types of absorbents or spill kits
you need on hand. Many are designed
to absorb certain types of liquids or
might not be chemically compatible
with what you have, " he says.
The second criteria should be
quantities. " We tell customers to
plan for the worst case scenario, " he
notes. " If you have a 5,000-gal tank,
but have a spill kit for 30 gal, you're
not really prepared. "
Finally, the chosen product must
adhere to local, state and federal
regulations regarding disposal. " If a
customer sends waste to an incinerator,
they want an absorbent with a
high BTU value and low ash content, "
Iuzzolino says. " Or if you're sending
material to a permitted, hazardous
waste landfill that only accepts nonbiodegradable
absorbents, that is a
very important consideration. "
It's important to make the distinction
between biodegradable or nonbiodegradable
absorbents. Although
the absorbent materials themselves
aren't hazardous, once they absorb
something, they must be treated and
disposed of based on the material they
now contain. So depending on how
the liquid is classified, the saturated
22 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2011
Even with all this taken into consideration,
it's important to note that
nothing is perfect. As Jim Potts, director
of operations with Northwest
HazMat (Springfield, Or.), which both
cleans up spills and sells spill kits, puts
it, " There's always a trade off when
selecting absorbents. Some materials
are cheaper to buy, but are heavier to
put down, pick up and dispose of. We
generally use what works fastest and
does the best job. "
And often, a one-two punch of absorbents
is needed, according to the
experts. " There will always be a need
for clay-based products because not
all surfaces are perfectly flat, " says
Radovich. " There are cracks and crevices
in most surfaces and pads tend
to not get into those areas, so follow
up cleaning may be needed, and that
will likely include clay-type products.
But still, using a more absorbent and
lighter material on the majority of the
spill will reduce labor and disposal
costs, even if a follow up with clay
products is required at the end. "
Johnson agrees: " We are never going
to do away with clay, but if the clean
up uses pads or some other material
for 90% of the spill and clay to get the
rest, then instead of using and disposing
of 50 bags of clay, you can get by
with maybe five bags of clay and one
bale of pads. Everyone concerned with
limiting costs and having a proper
spill plan should have multiple products
on hand because you never know
what a job will entail. "
■
Joy LePree
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Chemical Engineering July 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering July 2011