Oil Absorbent consist of natural plant fibre, from a totally renewable source, which has been
chemically modified to attract oil.
Introducing MultiResponse Oil Absorbent……the most cost-effective, environmentally
friendly, oil spillage response product available on the planet, as those European Gulf
distributors that have seen the product demonstrated will testify.
Whether driven by environmental or health and safety legislation or just plain common sense every
business that produces, blends or uses oil needs an effective product to deal with spillages. The
market for spill response products is enormous and represents a golden opportunity for the Gulf
distribution network.
The Gulf MultiResponse range will be developed to provide the network with the means to take full
advantage of that opportunity whilst strengthening the credibility of the Gulf brand in terms of its
sensitivity to environmental issues. The first product to be launched under the MultiResponse logo is
Oil Absorbent, a blend of natural plant fibres from a fully renewable source that is chemically
modified to produce a high performance product that has to be seen to be believed.
The natural fibre structure of the product has a unique affinity for solvents, oils and oil-based paints
that delivers unequalled performance in spill containment and control. Oil is rapidly absorbed and
locked into the capillary structure of the plant material, even when water is present. Once absorbed
the oil cannot escape. It does not migrate even in the presence of water or under mechanical
pressure. The spilled oil is totally absorbed in much less time than can be achieved with conventional
absorbents.
How MultiResponse Oil Absorbent compares
An experiment conducted to measure the time benefit of using MultiResponse Oil Absorbent
showed that it was nearly six times faster than a conventional absorbent. A spill that took 18 minutes
and five applications of a "kitty litter" type product was replicated and treated. Total clean-up was
achieved with one application in just three and a half minutes.
After a spill area has been correctly treated with MultiResponse Oil Absorbent there is no slippery
residue left behind. This significantly reduces the risk of injury to personnel. Slips, trips and falls are
the most common types of accident occurring in the workplace and consequently the main source of
compensation claims.
How does it save money
MultiResponse Oil Absorbent used in conjunction with the MultiResponse Recycling Centre can
be recycled up to eight times, minimising waste product, reducing the amount of stock required and
delivering massive savings in off-site waste disposal costs.
The Recycling Centre is the key to major cost savings when dealing with oil spillages. It is a mobile
unit that can quickly and easily be moved to the location of any spill and is equipped with everything
needed to tackle the problem.
With traditional absorbents all the product applied to the spill becomes, in effect, hazardous waste.
With MultiResponse Absorbent the optimum amount of product is used to absorb the spill no matter
how much is applied. There is no need to worry about wasted product because there won't be
any!
The absorbent attracts the oil which is then absorbed into the molecular structure of the plant fibre.
Once absorbed, the oil is literally locked in. The spill is concentrated into solid "lumps" of material. All
the absorbent that has been used is returned to the Recycling Centre. A plastic sieve in the top of the
unit separates those concentrated lumps from the mass of product that has not been used to absorb
the oil. The product that has not been used (and that's most of it) passes through the sieve and is
ready to treat the next spill.
This recycling process means that MultiResponse Oil Absorbent can be re-used up to eight times
compared with the single use available from other forms of absorbent. This results in a dramatic
reduction in the amount of hazardous waste produced.
An experiment to compare the performance of MultiResponse Absorbent with "kitty litter"
established that 1540 grams of cat litter was needed to remove 100 grams of oil. The same amount of
oil was removed using just 46 grams of MultiResponse Absorbent.
That's 33 times less absorbent used, 33 times less hazardous waste produced and 33 times less
waste disposal cost !
How does it compare with Sand?
Gulf MultiResponse
Kiln Dried Sand
An oil contaminated surface is
quickly returned to its original
condition after a single application
of MultiResponse Oil Absorbent.
Sand is not actually an absorbent;
Particles of sand are simply coated
with oil when applied to a spillage. A
sand-coated surface (whether oilcontaminated or not) is actually very
slippery and can contribute to slips,
trips and falls.
Rapid cleanup means that a work
area is returned to a safe condition
in minimum time.
Sand requires multiple applications
and meticulous recovery in order to
achieve a safely usable surface.
Using the MultiResponse Recycling
Centre, the absorbent is filtered so
that unused and part-used material
is immediately available for further
spill control applications.
The large quantities of sand used for
spill treatment are not recyclable and,
due to the high bulk density of sand
generate large and costly quantities of
hazardous waste.
MultiResponse Oil Absorbent is
fast, easy, efficient, recyclable and
Sand requires multiple, labourintensive applications, resulting in high
Public Safety
A reduction in slips, trips and
falls is high on most company’s
safety agendas.
Speed Of Cleaning
Oil spill cleanup is labour
intensive: the longer the cleanup,
the greater the cost.
Waste Minimisation
Every kilogram of a nonrecyclable cleanup of material
becomes a kilogram of
hazardous waste. Every kilogram
of hazardous waste must be
subject to costly Hazchem
disposal.
Overall Cost Of Cleanup
The highest components in any
cleanup operation are labour and
waste disposal.
involves minimal labour cost and
minimal waste generation.
labour and high waste disposal costs.
What can be absorbed?
It isn’t just oil that gets spilled. The MultiResponse Absorbent is ideal for spillages of any of the
following:
Fuels
Diesel, Petrol, Aviation Fuel, Avgas, Bio Diesel, Heating Oil, Paraffin, Kerosene, Distillate, Gas Oil,
Jet Fuel, Nitromethane (nitro).
Oils
Engine oils, Hydraulic oils, Cutting oil, Stamping oil, Pressing oil, EP Oils, Drawing oils, Broaching
oils, Crude oil, Vegetable oils, Silicone Oils, Paraffin oils.
Paraffinics (hydrocarbon)
Regular kerosene, Odourless kerosene, Hexane, Octane, Heptane, Petrol.Diesel, Distillate, Aviation
Fuel.
Emulsion/semi-aqueous fluids
Cutting fluids, Hydraulic fluids, Emulsion paint, Anti-Freeze, Glycols, Brake fluid.
Aromatics ( Benzenoids)
Benzene, Toluene, Xylenes, Aniline, Benzaldehyde, Bromobenzene, Chlorobenzenes, Nitrobenzene,
Acetophenone, Benzene sulphonic acid, Anisole, Phenols.
Aromatics (Non Benzenoids)
Pyridine, Pyrrole, Furan,Tetrahydrofuran (THF), Pyrimidine, Thiophene
Alcohols
Methanol, Ethanol, Propanols, Butanols, Cyclohexanol, Octanol.
Ketones
Methylethyl ketone (MEK), Methylisobutyl ketone (MIBK), Acetone
Miscellaneous
Paints (oil based), Lactates, N-methyl-2-pyrrrolidone, Flocculant polymers, Polyacrylamides, Glycol
ethers, Gamma butyrolactone, Texanol, Trichloroethane, Trichloroethylene, Acetates, Acetonitrile.
Safety and Environmental Issues Summarised
MultiResponse Absorbent when used correctly, leaves behind no slippery residues and can have a
positive effect on slip and fall rates in industry.
It is derived from renewable fibre processing residuals and can be incinerated, generating useful
energy, where facilities exist, or composted using appropriate bio-augmentation techniques.