Preliminary Final Vision

My own thoughts toward improving the efficiency of cleaning hazardous spills and/or leaking containers builds upon existing practices of employing a neutral absorbent mixed as a substrate for jellifying hazardous liquids while increasing the speed at which the absorption can take place.

The primary problem with existing systems for the jellification of such liquids lies within the method by which materials are mixed.Normally, the liquid is placed within a bucket liner and the absorbent powder is sprinkled on top gradually until all liquid is absorbed.  With time, the absorbent takes in the liquid and jellifies.  This works well with small amounts of liquids, but is unfortunately not well suited to handling large amounts of fluids.  When working with large amounts of liquid, the jellified mixture tends to be less dense than the liquid, resulting in a layer of jelly on top with liquid remaining underneath.  Because of potential hazards with such chemicals, handling the bag or stirring the mixture is discouraged; stirring or shaking can result in harmful splashes.

Additionally, the labeling process for these containers is necessary, but can also be confusing for those who do not often have to clean chemical spills.

The keys to fixing these problems are:

A: Increase the surface area of the absorbent powder.

B: Introduce liquid gradually.

C: Agitate the mixture within a container which is sealed (besides a system for venting fumes).

D: The device should be clear so that the operator can directly observe the progress of the absorbent.

E: Provide a computerized method for identifying the product, identifying which color bucket should be used (different colors represent different hazards) and automatically print these materials for labeling purposes.

By creating a system which meets these criteria, proper handling of large volumes of liquid can be reduced from a thirty to forty-five minute task, to a five to ten minute task.  This can all be done while reducing the possibility of chemical exposure to employees.

Some possible pitfalls of this project are:

A: Training of employees in device operation.

B: Proper cleaning of reusable pieces to ensure dangerous chemical mixing does not occur (i.e. bleach and ammonia).

C: Ensuring regular inspection and maintenance of related materials.

Should the system malfunction or break down, employees must also be trained in more conventional hazardous material cleanup procedures.

An item worth noting regarding my group is that we have each come up with our own solutions to this problem.  By comparing our ideas and extracting the best approaches, we can hopefully combine the best of our ideas to construct the best solution.