Are you wondering whether railcar spill containment is something you could use? If you’re in need of a high absorbency barrier to protect the environment, the answer could well be “Yes.”
When railcar still containment was first developed, specifically in the form of railroad track mats, they were designed to be used between inside and outside railroad tracks. And they are still used that way. After all, railcars can drip and leak oils and other fluids onto the tracks, and into the ground, and that must be prevented.
Where else can you use railcar spill containment?
Obviously, not just railroads are in need for such protection. Once these heavy, thick, and highly absorbent barrier mats became available, they were put to a variety of other uses as well.
For example, railcar spill containment mats are used by a whole range of transportation companies, refineries, utilities, steel mills. In addition, they come in handy in many other environments where leaks and spills are common and must be prevented from seeping into the ground water.
Why would you need specialty mats?
So what makes these types of mats special? Aren’t there other absorbent mats with a lower price tag?
There are other mats available, but as always, you get what you pay for. The benefits of getting the highly absorbent railcar mats is that they only absorb oil, and a lot of it.
Imagine you had a regular all-purpose absorbent mat in an outdoors environment. Now imagine it rains. Immediately, the mat would be saturated — with water! It would no longer be able to do its job, which is absorbing oil and other oil-based chemicals.
When you use a railcar spill containment mat, however, the rain water will simply roll right off and flow into the ground. The oil that is already in the mat won’t be affected, and the mat will retain its full remaining capacity for absorbing what it is supposed to absorb — more oil.
Now think of where else you might be able to use this kind of feature. You could place those mats underneath vehicles of all sorts as well as machinery, especially if they’re parked or used outside.
What makes them so effective?
So what makes them so effective? They have a core that absorbs oil only, and in addition, they are also encased in an impenetrable barrier film, which keeps all absorbed liquids inside the mat so they won’t leach into the environment. Their cover is UV resistant, which means that they will retain their usefulness for a long time.
And just how much can they absorb? How about 3 gallons per square yard! And since it’s conveniently available in pads and rolls, it provides not just flexible railcar spill containment but also protection for a range of other machinery and environments.