Combating Oil Spillage On Railroads Using Hydrobreak Power

Hydrobreak Power is a non-toxic, non-flammable product designed to clean up oil spills and oil contamination. It’s unique formulation ensures not only that there is an effective cleaning performance but also that the resultant waste is broken down into environmentally acceptable waste products i.e. carbon dioxide and water ensuring no subsequent damage to the environment.

Hydrobreak Power is formulated from a blend of organic based surfactants, organic acids, plant extracts and naturally occurring renewable organic solvents. This unique formulation prepares the oil contamination for treatment by naturally occurring micro-organisms found everywhere in the environment. It also acts as a stimulant for the micro-organisms providing a nutrient source which allows an accelerated growth rate, thus ensuring an increased concentration of the micro-organisms to allow degradation of the contamination.

The powerful formulation is effective even on the toughest types of oil based contamination such as tars and aged contamination, both from hard surfaces and porous surfaces such as concrete, gravel and sand.

Oil polluted track not only leads to poor ballast formation. It is also a serious safety hazard; especially where there is a combination of slippery, oil covered sleepers or walkways and a live rail. Prolonged contamination of ballast by oil can also result in pollution of groundwater as well as adjacent rivers and streams. 

Hydrobreak Power is particularly suitable for the removal of oil contamination from ballast and track-side areas. For heavily contaminated areas Hydrobreak Power should be sprayed over the contaminated area at the rate of one part Hydrobreak Power to four parts water (20%); for lighter contamination a one to twenty (5%) solution should be used. After treatment the area should simply be left to allow the Hydrobreak Power to act. The treatment should be repeated once weekly, or until there is no more visible evidence of oil contamination.

In order to prevent a recurrence of the contamination build up a maintenance program may be introduced whereby the area can be sprayed on a monthly basis using a concentration level of 2% (1:50), or as otherwise indicated by visual evidence of contamination.

Hydrobreak Power will penetrate into the ballast and soil below and will continue to work therefore reducing the contamination levels in the soil below. In fact Hydrobreak Power will continue to work albeit more slowly, as long as there is hydrocarbon contamination present.

Other areas where Hydrobreak Power can serve a purpose within the railways.

Fuel storage tanks and bunded areas; for the removal of aged oil contamination from bund walls, concrete aprons and shingle-soakaways.

Maintenance Depots and workshops; Workshop floors, gullies and equipment

Station and train halt areas; Emergency oil spills or derailments

Fuel transfer areas; All areas where oils and fuels might spill onto

Train washing; for the removal of oily deposits on trains and undercarriages

As a general guide, common sense and elementary good industrial housekeeping can do much to reduce oil pollution. Set procedures should be laid down and adhered to at all times for the safe handling and disposal of fuels, lubricating oils even in small quantities. Likely sources of oil spillage or leakage should be identified and monitored and spills should be dealt with promptly should they occur. Oil residues in drums and containers should be removed promptly and never left around site.

Hydrobreak Power should be kept on hand and its use incorporated into standard anti-pollution procedures. 

By law, all those involved in a spillage, whether in production, storage, transport, treatment or disposal have a duty of care to:

• Prevent illegal treatment and disposal of waste

• Prevent escape of waste

• Ensure that both the transport of the waste and its transporter are duly authorized

• Provide a written description to accompany the waste