Oil Skimmer Blog

The removal of oil from water is a vital stage that numerous industries must undertake during their manufacturing processes. Whether motivated by adherence to government regulations and the avoidance of penalties, or driven by the desire to reduce disposal expenses, employing oil skimmers to extract oil from water offers companies a host of valuable benefits.

Reasons to Remove Oil from Water

Here are six reasons why manufacturers need to remove oil from water and how Abanaki oil Skimming technologies offer a cost-effective solution.

A gallon of used motor oil can contaminate one million gallons of fresh water. This highlights the significant danger of improper disposal or leakage, which can harm aquatic ecosystems, endanger aquatic life, and threaten drinking water sources. Responsible handling and recycling of used motor oil are crucial to protect our water resources and the environment for future generations.

2. The U.S. produces billions of gallons of waste oil each year, and millions are improperly disposed.

Each year, the United States produces an astounding number of billions of gallons of waste oil. Amid this vast quantity, there is a concerning portion amounting to millions of gallons that unfortunately do not undergo proper disposal practices. This mismanagement of waste oil can have severe consequences for the environment, as improper disposal may lead to soil and water contamination, posing significant risks to ecosystems and human health alike.

3. Sources of oily wastewater

Oily wastewater stems from various sources and consists of exhausted oil emulsions from machine tools, used coolants, water utilized in parts washing, and grease from food processing, among other contributors. Machine tools often generate oil emulsions as a byproduct of their operation, while used coolants and wastewater from parts washing can become contaminated with oil residues. In the food processing industry, the presence of grease and oils further contributes to the creation of oily wastewater.

4. Dumping oily wastewater into a storm sewer

The act of disposing of oily wastewater into a storm sewer is a grave offense with severe consequences. Engaging in such unlawful practices could result in individuals facing significant penalties, including the possibility of being sentenced to several years in prison and/or facing substantial fines.

5. Hiring a licensed disposal firm to haul away and treat oily wastewater

For larger manufacturers, opting to hire a licensed disposal firm to haul away and treat oily wastewater or coolant can result in substantial monthly expenses, amounting to thousands of dollars. The costs associated with such specialized services stem from the complexities involved in handling and treating hazardous substances like oily wastewater, which require adherence to strict environmental regulations and specialized equipment.

6. Oil skimmer technology can dramatically reduce the water content of waste oil that must be disposed of or recycled.

Oil skimmer technology represents a groundbreaking solution capable of significantly reducing the water content present in waste oil that requires disposal or recycling. By employing sophisticated oil skimmers, industries can efficiently separate and remove the oil from water, thereby streamlining the waste management process and minimizing the volume of waste oil that needs handling.

“Oil and water don’t mix,” a statement that manufacturers in a variety of industries have come to learn the hard way. Oil skimming technologies offer an environmentally safe, highly economical approach to separating oil and water prior to disposal.

How to Successfully Implement Oil Skimmers

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

You are just one step away from downloading Abanaki's most detailed resource on our oil skimming equipment. Simply click at the button to get your ultimate guide now.

As large generators of oily wastewater tighten effluent controls, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is targeting smaller generators. Some of the firms receiving their attention are smaller manufacturing plants, automotive garages, mobile equipment service shops and truck farms. Many of these firms do not have access to a sanitary sewer system that will accept oily wastewater.

Because disposal in storm sewers also is prohibited, they frequently use injection wells, septic system drain-fields, dry wells and ground pits to dispose of oily wastewater; one EPA concern is that oily wastewater will find its way into an underground aquifer that is a source of drinking water.

Many oily wastes contain organic and inorganic chemicals in concentrations that exceed the primary drinking water standards established by the Safe Drinking Water Act. So, the focus of one EPA program is aimed at preventing contamination of groundwater by controlling oily wastewater recycling at the generator’s site.

Getting Rid of Oily Wastewater

If oily wastewater isn’t recycled, it must be disposed of safely. One option is to have it collected and hauled away by a licensed disposal firm. The annual volume of oily wastewater generated by many shops and plants makes hauling too costly.

Even firms connected to sanitary or industrial wastewater sewer systems have limitations on the oil content in their effluent. When oil concentration exceeds a certain level, usually 100 ppm or less, the generator can get hit with hefty surcharges by the local government providing wastewater treatment.

At some level of oil concentration, the oily water effluent is prohibited from entering the sanitary sewer line.

Wastewater Recycling

With wastewater recycling, the most common methods of oil/water separation include decanting tanks, oil skimming, coalescing, membrane separation and various chemical treatments. Any of these methods can be effective. Selection should be based on economic as well as technical considerations.

Although it is a cost-effective method of reducing contamination, oil skimming often is overlooked as a primary technique. Frequently, this results from the misperception that skimming is only suitable as a pretreatment ahead of other oil/water separation devices.

Certainly, skimming is a retreatment method used to prevent oil overloads in downstream membranes, coalescers and sand bed filters. But it can stand alone as an oil removal method in many applications, reducing oil to only a few parts per million concentrations, depending on conditions. In many locales, this is good enough to allow the water to enter a sanitary sewer system without paying connection surcharges.

More exotic methods of oil removal, such as membrane filtration and chemical treatment, are most often required when tight emulsions and other chemicals must be removed. If an emulsion is the water-in-oil type, a skimmer may do the job.

Types of Oil Skimmers

Oil skimmers usually incur a low initial cost, install easily, offer rugged construction, reliable operation and minimal upkeep. Training personnel for operation, monitoring and routine maintenance is nil.

Still, there are different types of skimmers, and each application requires some analysis to make the best selection. Also, the water collection system must be set up properly in order to get maximum performance from the skimmer.

The six major skimmer configurations for industrial plants and service shops are belt, disk, drum, mop, tube and floating suction types. For all types, the oil or other hydrocarbon liquids must be floating on top of the water. For all but the floating suction type, a moving skimmer medium is pulled through or across the surface to attract the oil.

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

You are just one step away from downloading Abanaki's most detailed resource on our oil skimming equipment. Simply click at the button to get your ultimate guide now.