CONTROL OF HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL SPILLS BY PHYSICAL BARRIERS

The magnitude of potentially hazardous chemicals now being transported through the country poses a serious threat to the water ecosystem. Unless spills can be controlled at their source, movement into the water system may be inevitable. Such control dictates the availability of systems capable of forming dikes or flow diverting barriers either as a portable system carried on the vehicle or a mobile unit rapidly deployable to the site. In this regard, a program was instituted to investigate the applicability of foamed materials for formimg such dikes and barriers. It was successfully demonstrated that polyurethane could be packaged in a portable unit and dispensed as a low density rigid foam capable of diking liquids on a variety of substrates (for example, dry concrete, asphalt, bare ground, vegetation). Attempts to develp a rigid high expansion system were not fully successful. A foamed concrete system was also successfully evolved, which used mobile equipment to build free form dikes. Modified surfactant foam was also shown to be an effective cover over spilled chemicals to control vapor release and fire hazards. In each case, a field tested unit was demonstrated or shown to be feasible. (Author)

• Corporate Authors:

  Environmental Protection Agency

  401 M Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20460
• Authors:
  • Friel, J V
  • Hiltz, R H
  • Marshall, M D
• Publication Date: 1973-8

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 91 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Chemical spills; Foams; Hazardous chemicals; Polyurethane foams; Spills (Pollution)
• Subject Areas: Environment; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00054060
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Maritime Research Center, Galveston
• Report/Paper Numbers: EPA-122-73-185 Tech Ser
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 7 1974 12:00AM