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Newsletter 2006 issue 1 |
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Prevent Losses from Spills
Don’t cry over spilled milk—or other raw materials—figure out why it spilled then take steps to prevent future spills! Reducing spills can reduce raw material loss, cut waste disposal and cleanup labor costs, and minimize the potential for accidents and exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals.
Heavy savings
Hibbing Taconite Company, a producer of ore taconite pellets used for steel manufacturing, spilled approximately 25,000 tons of ore concentrate per year. Production engineers had made a number of changes to control mill spillage in order to reduce oil waste and maintenance downtime. Lacking time to research additional changes, they requested a MnTAP intern to help reduce contamination of the trunnion bearing lubrication oil.
The intern evaluated the spilled material and determined it contained more iron-rich concentrate than unconcentrated ore. Because the company learned that the spilled material had more value than previously thought, spill prevention gained greater priority.
The intern recommended several equipment and maintenance changes to reduce spills. After passing through a two-year downturn in the steel industry, Hibbing Taconite made changes on seven of its nine mills, with plans to modify the two other mills. The company reduced ore spills over 75 percent (19,000 tons), saving $260,000 per year. Full implementation is planned to save $330,000 annually. See for the project summary.
Spill prevention tips
- Write procedures for all loading/unloading and transfer operations.
- Use spigots or pumps instead of pouring when dispensing. Avoid pouring from a bung opening.
- Minimize transfer from container to container.
- Use spouts and funnels when transferring liquids.
- Use drip pans under spouts to catch and contain drips.
- Tightly seal all bungs and lids (even for empty containers).
- Increase freeboard on tanks.
- Install overflow alarms for all tanks and vessels. Instruct operators to not bypass interlocks or alarms, or to alter set points without authorization.
- Properly designate tanks and vessels and use only for intended purposes.
Aborbent on the shop floor
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POL stands for petroleum, oils and liquids. |
The Minnesota Army National Guard sponsored a project for MnTAP to investigate waste reduction options for its facilities. Among the recommendations was implementing a spill cleanup plan which would recover spilled supplies, reduce granular absorbent use and reduce costs for handling absorbent waste.
Using a squeegee and a flexible, deep capacity dustpan, spilled liquid is first recovered for reuse or recycling. Then, rags or absorbent are used to clean up any remaining spill. The absorbent is visually evaluated to determine if it is fully saturated or can be reused for another spill.
Spill cleanup tips
- When spills occur, clean them up immediately.
- Recover excess product for reuse.
- Use dry or damp cleanup methods for spills or leaks (e.g., use a broom instead of a hose).
- Use high-pressure, low-volume cleaning systems.
- Install secondary containment areas.
- Ensure that spilled residues are managed properly. Refer to the product’s MSDS for spill cleanup information.
- Document spills so you can take precautionary measures in the future.
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