How to Clean Up Oil Spills With Sorbents
Oil spills are a common occurrence today because of the many uses of oil in society. Oil is a major natural resource and can be used as fuel, a building material and for cooking foods. Sorbents are objects that are absorbent and can soak up spills. Sorbents normally do not pick up solid items. Basic sorbents are paper towels, toilet paper, wash cloths and sand. Each can be used to pick up liquids that have spilled, such as oil. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Sprinkle cat litter over the oil spill. You want enough cat litter to form a small pile on top of the spill. Make sure entire spill is covered under the cat litter. It does not matter if the spill is on a hard surface or carpet, cat litter will absorb the oil. You can use sorbent rolls if you like, but they cause a lot of waste, so cut down on waste by using cat litter or sand. Sand is not recommended on carpet because of the abrasive texture and because it is really hard to vacuum out of carpet.
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Wait 15 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the severity of the oil spill, for the cat litter to soak up the oil. Do not be afraid to sprinkle more cat litter than you think you need to absorb the oil.
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Shovel up as much cat litter as possible and put into a trash bag or garbage can if the spill is outdoors. If you are indoors, use a broom and dustpan. Use the broom and dustpan to sweep up all excess cat litter if the spill is outdoors. Dispose of the oil waste in accordance with your state/country laws. Vacuum up all excess cat litter indoors to clean up spills on carpet.
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Tips & Warnings
You can use sand as a sorbent as well. Just be sure that all oil is absorbed. Repeat this process as necessary. It is OK to add more sorbent to the oil site if the oil is showing through the layer that was first applied.
Failure to dispose of oil in accordance with the law is punishable by severe fines and/or jail time.
