Oil Removal Solutions Blog

Oil plays a part in just about every industrial process on earth. While oil can play crucial and beneficial role in industrial operations, it can also cause many challenges once it has served its purpose and ends up in the wastewater stream. 

To increase the efficiency of wastewater treatment processes and maintain environmental compliance, organizations must first remove the oil before repurposing it or the water, before discharging water to the municipality, and before chemical treatment or filtration of the water. 

If not removed continuously and effectively, oil in wastewater can cause equipment malfunction, process inefficiencies, undesirable working environments, fines from the municipality and/or the EPA, and increase downtime and maintenance.

You’re probably aware of why skimming oil is important, but do you know how skimmers actually collect oil? Are you certain the type of skimmer you’re using is the best choice?

There are a handful of different oil skimming solutions, but we will focus on the most efficient and reliable system—tube-type oil skimmers.

How the Oil Skimmer Works

The Brill^® tube skimmer type uses a special closed-loop Free-Floating Collector Tube™ that is designed to attract oil but not water. The collector tube is slowly drawn across the surface of the wastewater, and this movement creates a current to pull oil in. The oil-covered tube then passes through special ceramic scrapers that clean the tube of the waste oil, collecting it in a container. From there, the cleaned tube then returns to the tank to continue collecting oil.

The age-old idiom that oil and water don’t mix is true, but at some point in most industrial processes they actually do combine. If the oil is not removed, it can cause quite a few adverse affects.

But, thanks to oil skimming technology, we can effectively remove oil from the water’s surface. Doing so, provides economic advantages, improves wastewater treatment processes, extends the life of process liquids, and allows the oil to retain its value for recycling and reuse.

Related read >> Top Business Benefits of Removing Oil from Water