Airport fuel spill clean up

• Project Overview: Airport fuel spill clean up
• Project Title: BioCat cleans up fuel spill in aircraft standing areas
• Products/Services: BioCat hydrocarbon absorbent
• Project Undertaken: July 2011
• Industry Sector: Aviation

Overview

• One of the UK’s top airports recently requested a demonstration of the BioCat Recycling Centres to deal with the issues of aircraft on the stands waiting for passengers leaking fuel during refuelling operations.
• The problem is that when aircraft are turned around for return flights, time is imperative to avoid costly delays. One major issue is that there can often be fuel leaks when aircraft are being refuelled and this leads to the area being cordoned off to allow clean up to take place. If fuel is left on the stands, there is a danger of the contamination being spread across a larger area and thus causing safety issues.
• The airport already uses Darcy absorbents and spill kits to deal with spills and wanted to make an improvement to their effectiveness.

Unit Features

BioCat is extremely cost effective as it will absorb all manner of spills but is especially effective on hydrocarbon based liquids.

Solutions and Savings

The demonstration took place on a windy day and due to the openness of the airfield, this would be a common environment. A small amount of oil was spilt on the stand and the BioCat applied to absorb and clean up the spill. The surface was relatively rough and the fine fibres of BioCat meant that the product was brushed in to all the cracks and uneven surfaces. The contaminated product was then shovelled in to the sieve and the unused product fell through to the hopper for reuse, while the contaminated clumps remained in the sieve for disposal as hazardous waste. A final washing of the area brought any residue of oil to the surface and a final application of the BioCat enabled the area to be reusable again. The airport are now considering BioCat recycling centres for other areas and have a system which is quick to use.