CLIENT: Port Augusta City Council
PRODUCT: Heavy Duty Containment boom (XR5)
SCENARIO: Port Augusta City Council came to Trade Environmental requiring a product to separate heavy oils and grease from a waste transfer application.
The pond receives waste from trucks and the client needed to separate the top layer to increase evaporation and maximise effects of the wind pushing against the crusted layer. The loading on the boom was significant and the deployment long term with constant exposure to oil and grease. Because of this, we opted for a Heavy Duty Construction utilizing high strength load webbing and a ruggedly tough construction utilizing XR5 fabric.
Many manufacturers in our industry use PVC based products to manufacture containment booms. PVC has a high puncture resistance and is flexible and great to work with, but it’s not suitable for long-term exposure to fuels and oils. The reason for this is due to the plasticizers used in most PVC fabrics.
When hydrocarbons come into contact with plasticized PVC, they draw out the plasticizers causing the PVC to become brittle and crack, in turn weakening the structural integrity of the product. XR5 Fabric is another PVC based fabric, however, the exception here is the plasticizer used in XR5 is known as Elvaloy. Elvaloy is a product that allows XR5 to be flexible, yet when exposed to fuels and hydrocarbons does not compromise the integrity of the product, maintaining its structural qualities and rendering it suitable for long-term exposure.
Understanding an application and a clients requirements is key to the success of any oil boom and Trade Enviro specialise in taking quality and service to that next level. Getting the job done right the first time saves time and money and that’s what we are all about
