What Are Oil Absorbent Pads Made Of?

Oils can make a workplace unsafe by creating slip hazards. Many oils are also highly flammable, so spills need to be addressed as soon as they occur. By maintaining a steady stock of oil-specific cleanup supplies, businesses can comply with OSHA requirements while managers enjoy peace of mind.

What Are Oil_Absorbent Pads Made Of?

Most oil absorbent pads are made with polypropylene, a thermoplastic polymer. Thermoplastic materials are synthetic resins that become plastic when they’re heated. Polypropylene is a particularly useful substance because it’s hydrophobic — meaning that it repels water — and oleophilic — it attracts oils.

Oleophilic substances are a relatively new addition to the industrial toolkit, but the market for oil-absorbent materials is growing quickly. Modern oil-absorbent pads use several layers of polypropylene so that they’re able to clear up large amounts of oil quickly; because the material is also hydrophobic, the water is left behind. This has several key applications in industrial settings.

Some of the uses of oil-absorbent pads, socks, and booms include:

• Cleaning leaks near heavy equipment

• Maintaining safe workspaces in automotive workshops

• Cleaning larger spills in industrial settings

• Spot-cleaning vegetable oil, paint, and other oil-based substances

• Containing spills immediately after they occur

Many booms and pillows retain buoyancy, so they can also absorb oil discharges in pools of water. Even when addressing oil spills where water is not present, an oil-specific pad can simplify cleanup, and operations that keep a steady supply of oil-specific cleanup products can maintain safe, efficient workspaces.