Spill Pads | Effective Spill Containment with EnviroPad®

ProductsEnviroPad®

EnviroPad^®

EnviroPad is a revolutionary spill mat that absorbs and neutralises hydrocarbons permanently. Innovative smart polymer technology turns oils, fuels and hydraulic fluids into a non-leaching solid, locking them inside the pad. Can be used outdoors in all weathers and power washed clean. It does not need to be placed inside another container.

The only spill pad that won’t leak or fill with oily
rainwater and overflow
Considered best practice by the construction industry
Reduces the volume of waste you generate
Saves you £££s over the length of a project

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EnviroPad Product Sheet

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Specification

CODE	PRODUCT	SIZE	CAPACITY
GRR 52 02 01 EPAD	EnviroPad S4 – Small	610 x 460 mm	Up to 4.5L oil
GRR 52 02 10 EPAD	EnviroPad M10 – Medium	900 x 690 mm	Up to 10.5L oil
GRR 52 02 20 EPAD	EnviroPad L20 – Large	1370 x 910 mm	Up to 20.2L oil
GRR 52 02 22 EPAD	EnviroPad XL30 – X Large	1370 x 1370 mm	Up to 30.4L oil
GRR 52 01 05 EPAD	EnviroPad XXL40 – XX Large	2180 x 1370 mm	Up to 44.3L oil

Product Overview

What are spill pads used for?

Oil spill mats like EnviroPad are used to capture oil leaks and refuelling spills when using motor-driven equipment like disc cutters, generators, pumps, tower lights and fuel bowsers. They are a legal requirement under pollution prevention legislation. Failure to implement effective spill control measures can lead to fines, site closures and even prosecution.

How does EnviroPad work?

EnviroPad employs smart polymers which attract hydrocarbons and turn them into a non-leaching solid. The smart polymers do not react with or retain water. The high-quality mesh fabric on top of the EnviroPad wicks hydrocarbons across the surface to areas of unused polymer. This ensures that you get the most out of every EnviroPad before it needs replacing. EnviroPad sheds rainwater without flushing out any of the solidified hydrocarbons. Saturated EnviroPads can be safely hung up to drain. No sidewalls or liner are required.

What makes EnviroPad better than other spill mats, trays and nappies?

Almost all ‘absorbent’ spill control products are made with polypropylene which is a sponge. Great at absorbing liquids; not so good at holding onto them. Hang these products up, carry them across site, put heavy equipment on them, and the absorbed hydrocarbons will drain or squeeze out onto the ground. That’s not what we call pollution prevention.

EnviroPad is unique in that it locks hydrocarbon spills inside the pad permanently. It does this by turning oils and fuels into solid rubber. So when we make claims about the capacity of EnviroPad, you can believe it.

Rainwater can collect in spill trays which will mix with the captured hydrocarbons to create a volume of contaminated water. One of two things happens next. In most cases, the products are left to overflow or site workers tip the contents onto the ground. So you are not preventing pollution, you are just delaying it. If this happens on your site, you are wasting your money.

What should happen is that you dispose of this waste water responsibly by transferring it to a hazardous waste bin for collection by a third party waste contractor. This rarely happens because of the impracticality of moving a flooded spill tray or nappy without spilling the contents on the ground. But if you did, then you are paying to dispose of litres of contaminated water every time it rains. If this happens on your site, you are wasting your money.

With EnviroPad there is no waste water, no negligent behaviour, just no-nonsense pollution prevention. That’s why the UK’s leading construction companies consider it best practice.

What makes EnviroPad so effective?

Green Rhino pioneered the use of smart polymers for spill control. We’ve tried countless methods of manufacture and countless blends of smart polymers. Our patent-pending Neutroilize™ Smart Fabric Technology is the only method that retains hydrocarbons permanently and is unique to EnviroPad.

Which hydrocarbons does EnviroPad work with?

Additionally, our proprietary blend of smart polymers will work with a wide range of workplace hydrocarbons including motor oil, petrol, diesel, hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and hydraulic fluids (including bio). Capacity of each type of fluid varies. Our ‘up to’ capacities refer to petrol and diesel.

How else does EnviroPad save you money?

There are five sizes of EnviroPad compared to the three sizes common to nappy-style products. This means that you can find a size to fit most items of equipment – and you are less likely to have to pay for items larger than you need. This alone can save you £££s over the length of a project.

Site workers prefer EnviroPad

EnviroPad doesn’t fill with oily, muddy water which makes it cleaner and easier to handle. When carried or stored vertically, hydrocarbons won’t drain out onto workers clothing, onto the storeroom floor or into the back of a van.

FAQs

Why doesn’t the EnviroPad spill pad need side walls?

When hydrocarbons leak or spill onto an EnviroPad, they are quickly absorbed inside the pad and solidified. Rainfall will not flush the solidified contaminants out. You can even jet wash an EnviroPad clean.

What happens if I spill a large volume of oil or fuel onto an EnviroPad?

EnviroPad is designed to capture small leaks and spills in low-risk scenarios. Neither EnviroPad nor spill trays of any type are designed to contain catastrophic leaks or spills. If there is a significant risk of this – for example, a pierced oil drum – then you should be using a bunded area with at least 110% capacity of the risk.

How long will an EnviroPad last?

EnviroPad will last until it has absorbed its capacity in hydrocarbons which could take years. In the field, you are unlikely to know how much has been absorbed. However, when the smart polymer inside reacts with hydrocarbons it swells to around twice its original thickness. When an EnviroPad has thickened all over, it is time to replace it. In practice, customers tend to know when to replace them.

Spill control products can get very muddy when used on construction sites and this can impede their ability to capture spills. The great thing about EnviroPad is that it can be hosed or jet washed clean without risk of leakage. If you jet wash a spill tray or nappy-style product, you will just flush contaminants into the environment.

EnviroPad is also extremely rugged which makes it popular for refuelling areas. It can withstand being driven over regularly – even by tracked vehicles like excavators.

How should used EnviroPads be disposed of?

EnviroPad has no special COSHH requirements and can be disposed of in your normal hazardous waste bins.

In the US, EnviroPad has passed leachate testing so may be considered as non-hazardous waste. Check with local, state and national regulations.

With spill trays and nappy-style products you are capturing, storing and disposing of liquid hydrocarbons which are highly flammable. EnviroPad converts hydrocarbons into a non-leaching solid which has significantly lower flammability and off-gassing properties.

Are all smart polymer spill pads the same?

EnviroPad’s patent-pending Neutroilize™ Smart Fabric Technology is unique and the result of many years of experimentation. We’ve tried the other methods of using smart polymers to bind hydrocarbons permanently – like stitch bonding – and they just aren’t reliable. If you come across another smart polymer spill pad then the likelihood is that you’ll be advised to place it inside another container. That will tell you that it leaks.

Why do spill containment mats and spill trays made with polypropylene leak?

The oil-absorbent medium in nappy-style products and traditional spill containment mats is polypropylene – an oleophilic sponge. Sponges leak when saturated, even oleophilic sponges. When these products fill with rainwater, some or all of the captured hydrocarbons will be flushed out. If these types of product are hung up for storage or carried vertically, hydrocarbons held in the polypropylene sponge will drain out.