Current Treatment

The oil contaminated earth is collected by means of earth moving equipment and this oil/chemically saturated earth is then transported to an environmentally approved landfill site and dumped. This always proves to be an extremely expensive exercise as costs are incurred in the collection, transport and disposal thereof. In addition the land is usually left scarred.

An oil absorbent is applied to the site of the spill (to prevent the oil from being leached into the ground water) and the land is then further treated with fertilizer or a specific bio-remediation product to facilitate rehabilitation. In the case of third world countries this becomes even more expensive as all existing oil absorbents and bio-remediation products on the market are imported from first world countries and are often subject to the vagaries of negative currency exchange rate fluctuations.

Treatment of Spills on Land with ecoplus

ecoplus's unique qualities make it an effective "all in one" solution. Oil encapsulation and bio-remediation (given its unique mix of nutrients and micro-organisms) can now be done at the site of the spill - the ecoplus is simply ploughed in-situ into the oil soaked land, which negates the unnecessary expense of collection, transport and dumping into an environmentally approved landfill site.

Advantages

ecoplus consists of both fibrous and fine particles. The fine structure and oleophilic properties make ecoplus the perfect product for spills on soil and other hard surfaces. The fine part of the product enlarges the molecular surface area so that more product can come into contact with the spill in the soil. The hydrocarbons are mixed with the soil and the finely structured product also enables the ecoplus to effectively mix with the soil and act as a kind of filter paper, which will extract the hydrocarbons from the soil.

The nutrient content will initiate bacterial growth in the soil which will be sterile as a result of the spill contamination. Within 2 weeks, micro organisms will be visible in the soil, and will be utilizing the hydrocarbons as an energy source. The soil will become even more fertile after the spill due to the nutrient enriched nature of ecoplus.

The treated soil is now filled with organic material and microbial life.

Directions for use

Simply spread the product on the polluted surface and plough in as deep as the oil has penetrated the ground. Keep the soil wet for 2 weeks to give the micro flora a chance to grow and multiply. After two weeks, the soil is in the bio-remediation phase and can be planted. It is important to keep the soil moist at all times as a watery environment acts as a medium for the micro-organisms to move around and to reach all hydrocarbon bonds.

For spills on hard surfaces simply spread ecoplus over the affected area until the pollutants have been absorbed and encapsulated. When this has happened simply sweep the used ecoplus up and then dispose.

Disposal

Please be advised that due to the large variety of pollutants (hydrocarbon, chemical, paints and other) that ecoplus can encapsulate, and the widely varying disposal regulations relating to each one, as well as differing geographic jurisdictions, we recommend that you dispose according to local regulations at the spill site and that you contact your local authorities for advice in this regard.

Used and saturated ecoplus can be disposed of as follows:

• Plough the used ecoplus into the earth (land farmed)
• Dump in an environmentally approved site
• Incinerate
• Containerize

Dosing Rate Table

The following table is a rough guideline of the dosing rate at which ecoplus needs to be applied. Dosing rates may vary depending on the nature and viscosity (thickness) of the pollutants.

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