Description
Polymer Sorb® remains buoyant in calm or agitated water, permitting it to remain in place until fully saturated, to ensure that the product is fully utilized.
In addition, all absorbed oil and hydrocarbon residue is non-leaching; Polymer Sorb® transforms the pollutants into a stable solid allowing for a practical, less expensive, hassle free handling and disposal. This result in a problem-free closed-loop solution to water pollution.
The Polymer Sorb® is designed not to deteriorate in water, allowing for longer product life.
AMPAC USA has developed an intra-filter antimicrobial technology synergistic with Polymer Sorb® technology. This effort produced Polymer Sorb® Plus, which features an antimicrobial agent chemically and permanently bound through proprietary process to the Polymer Sorb® surface to promote and prolong the effective and efficient functioning of the pre-filter.
Applications
Features and Benefits
Key Benefits:
- Effective in fresh or saltwater at temperatures ranging from 32° to 130° F
- Chemically selective to hydrocarbons
- Inhibits growth of mildew and mold
- inactivates bacteria in contact
- Capable of removing up to 3 times its own weight in hydrocarbons
- Reduces or removes sheen
- Remains completely buoyant even after saturation
- Transforms fluid hydrocarbons into a stable solid per EPA's Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP)
- Offers both point and non-point source pollution prevention
- Provides potential for long-lasting remediation
- Excellent pre-filtration for sea water desalination reverse osmosis systems in polluted areas
What oil concentrations can AMPAC USA oil-water separator systems achieve in treated effluent?
Our gravity coalescent separators can reduce free and dispersed oil to below 10 mg/L, which meets many industrial discharge limits and is a common pretreatment target before membrane polishing. For tighter discharge requirements below 5 mg/L or 1 mg/L, we follow the coalescer with ultrafiltration or dissolved air flotation to capture emulsified oil that gravity separation cannot reach. Effluent quality guarantees are available for systems designed to meet specific permit limits.
What is the difference between free oil, dispersed oil, and emulsified oil in wastewater treatment?
Free oil rises naturally to the surface due to density difference and is easily removed by gravity skimmers or API separators. Dispersed oil consists of small droplets at 20-150 microns that rise slowly and can be captured by coalescent media that causes droplets to merge and float. Emulsified oil has droplet sizes below 20 microns, often stabilized by surfactants, and requires chemical demulsification, dissolved air flotation, or membrane filtration because gravity and simple coalescing cannot break the emulsion.
How do coalescent media separators work, and what media types does AMPAC USA use?
Coalescent media presents a high-surface-area matrix of oleophilic material that oil droplets preferentially wet and merge on. As droplets combine into larger ones, buoyancy overcomes the media's hold and the coalesced oil rises to the surface for skimming. We use corrugated polypropylene plate packs for most industrial applications and oleophilic polyurethane foam or fibrous media for systems requiring very small footprints or handling low oil concentrations.
Can your oil-water separators handle water with high solids content alongside the oil contamination?
Yes, but solids must be addressed before the coalescent stage to prevent media blinding, which rapidly reduces separation efficiency. Our systems for high-solids applications include an upstream settling tank or hydrocyclone to remove settleable solids before the coalescer. Failing to pretreat for solids is the most common cause of premature coalescer fouling and disappointing separator performance in field installations.
What flow rate range do AMPAC USA oil-water separation systems cover?
We build oil-water separators from 5 GPM for small equipment wash pads and maintenance shops up to 2,000+ GPM for refinery and produced water applications. The design approach differs by scale: smaller systems use prefabricated skids with plate-pack coalescers, while large systems combine multiple treatment stages in a sequential process we engineer site-specifically. Contact us with your flow rate and inlet oil concentration for a preliminary system selection.