Can You Reuse an Absorbent Pad?

Q. Can I use an oil-absorbent pad or another absorbent product, such as a rag or a boom, more than once?

A. Yes! You can get additional uses out of your absorbent pads, rags, booms, or other absorbent products by running the fluid-soaked absorbents through a wringer. A wringer is easy to operate and uses either a hand crank or a motor drive to feed the absorbent product through rollers and extract the fluid.

By using a wringer, you can extend the life of your absorbent pads or other absorbent products. According to the EPA, using a wringer or another extraction device allows absorbent pads to be used two to eight times, depending on the oil’s viscosity.

While the obvious benefit of reuse is to save you money on materials, it’s also an excellent way to reduce the environmental impact of your shop by decreasing unnecessary purchases and saving used oil for recycling rather than disposal. (You’re also reducing disposal costs!) In fact, as part of its oil-spill cleanup best practices, the EPA recommends that users reclaim as much used oil as possible and employ reusable absorbent materials (e.g., absorbent pads, flat booms, socks, towels) to clean up spills.

The type of wringer you’ll need depends on the type of absorbent items you need to extract oil from, as well as your budget. For example, an economy model wringer, which works great for more occasional jobs, lets you wring up to 90% of the fluids from absorbent pads and rags, is low-priced, lightweight, and clamps to a drum. More powerful wringer models can handle more materials (such as booms, towels, carpets, and socks) and extract even more of the liquid from the absorbents.

Rather than use a batch of brand new absorbents on a spill, when you have a wringer you can reuse the same absorbents several times on the spill, until they are well worn and ready for disposal. This will reduce expenses and also keep your shop clean and orderly.

[cta]Want to learn more about reclaiming oil with a wringer? AbsorbentsOnline can help. Contact Travis Zdrazil at travis@absorbentsonline.com or (800) 869-9633.[/cta]