Absorbent Pillow

Spill Control Centre explains the difference between different absorbent pads for different kinds of spill allowing you to select the right one for your requirements.

Like golf clubs and kitchen knives, absorbent pads are designed for different tasks, which is why selecting the right one is important. They all have the same general function of cleaning up spills (or catching them as they happen), but it’s what needs to be mopped up that dictates which is the right ‘tool for the job’.

Absorbent pillow comes in three basic types – to deal with (1) oil, (2) chemicals, and (3) water or general tasks. There’s a colour coding system to explain which one does what job:

• Oil absorbent pillows are white
• Chemical absorbent pillows are yellow
• General purpose and water absorbent pads are black or grey; these are also known as ‘maintenance’ absorbent pillows

White oil absorbent pads

These are made using clever polymers or cotton fibres that are hydrophobic. This means they actually repel water, making them ideal for lifting oil from the surface of ponds and streams. The benefit with this type of pad is that its entire capacity for absorption is therefore used on the spill, which needs to be cleaned up, rather than the pre-existing water, which doesn’t. The other benefit of using a white oil absorbent pad is that the absorbed oil changes the colour of the pad, so it’s easy to see when it’s ‘full’ and needs replacing. (The accompanying picture shows these pads in use during an oil spill in Thailand).

Yellow chemical absorbent pillow

These are the ones to use to absorb all industrial liquids, including aggressive chemicals, like those that are corrosive or caustic, as well as coolants and any solvent-based spill. It’s important to remember that aggressive chemicals soaked up by these pads remain aggressive, as a result of which two things are worth mentioning.

Firstly, as much care should be taken with handling and disposing of the pads as would have been the case with the original chemical itself. Secondly, because of their robust polypropylene construction they won’t break up in or after use, which would make the clean-up unnecessarily awkward and potentially hazardous.