Surface water protection with oil absorbent mat

Project description

A small marina on Lake Marion offers a fueling station for area boaters. When personal watercraft stop by to fuel their boats, small amounts of fuel may drip from the nozzle. If this fuel spills into the lake, it can harm humans, fish and other wildlife. A swimming beach is located off the opposite side of the marina. Both boaters and the marina can be fined for certain spills.

Solution

Dwayne “Hammer” Moore, president of Hammer’s Haz Mats, had a solution – An active Geo-Composit. The oil adsorbent mat readily absorbs and binds petroleum products. The Geo-Composit is permeable to water until the mat is saturated with petroleum product. In the event that a spill comes in contact with the mat, the mat can wick petroleum products out of the water. Hammer’s Haz Mats crew used an air staple gun to affix the oil binding product to the pier at the end of the dock where the fuel station is located. The top of the wood planks and pump box were covered. On the sides, the mat was draped down to the low water mark and the pilings were wrapped with the mat. Moore estimated that the mat will last at least two years.

Benefits

• Active Geo-Composit absorbs a minimum 0.15 gallons of oil per square foot (per ASTM F726 test method)
• Relatively light weight, allowing for easy deployment
• Product has been used at petroleum refineries, contaminated sediment sites and hazardous waste landfills