OMG Solutions and the ELMN8 product line were developed in response to a void of effective hydrocarbon-contamination management products throughout Randy Cook’s twenty-five years in the oilfield services industry dealing with hydrocarbon spills. During his time in the oilfield, he encountered every product on the market, but they all seemed to have flaws.
Either the product would be effective but highly toxic and expensive or the opposite of the spectrum–it would be inexpensive and ineffective. Other challenges encountered were weather-sensitive products or products that just took entirely too long to be effective. Experiencing this void in the market, Cook saw an opportunity, so the development of the ELMN8 product line began. The idea was born to have an inexpensive, highly effective, non-toxic and nonhazardous solution that could work immediately and in place on hydrocarbon contamination.
OMG Solution is the sole source manufacturer of ELMN8 for soil and ELMN8+ for water. These products are just that, they are inexpensive, highly effective, and they address hydrocarbons immediately. The ELMN8 products are sold in 55 gallon drums and 275 gallon totes. The price of ELMN8 (soil) is $25 per gallon while ELMN8+ (water) is $48 per gallon. ELMN8+ requires a different formula that can overcome the dilution by being added to hydrocarbon-contaminated water.
Both products have been deployed all over the US and have been proven to be highly effective in immediately eliminating hydrocarbon contamination. The typical application method includes some method of spraying and tilling, but when infrastructure has come into play, the products have been injected and/or poured directly on top and allowed to migrate down and follow the same directional path of the hydrocarbon spill. All methods are highly effective, but the spray and till method provides the fastest results as this process creates the contact of the ELMN8 solution with the hydrocarbon contamination. The injection and dump methods, in contrast, take a while to travel along the path and contact the hydrocarbon contamination.
Whether utilizing the ELMN8 products on soil or water or both, there is no safety concern for the emergency responder or the environment as both products are non-hazardous and nontoxic. In fact, one of the greatest benefits of using these products is they are a flashpoint killer. That’s right; they take the ignition danger out of the hydrocarbon spill response, making the response a safer environment. Also, unlike other products used in emergency response scenarios, there are no microbes (bugs) or enzymes associated with this product line, meaning that the ELMN8 products have no shelf life and are not weather sensitive.
The most common hydrocarbon spills encountered in emergency response are surface spills. These are, by far, the easiest spills for the ELMN8 product line to treat as the hydrocarbons on the surface are most easily contacted by the solution’s spray application. When the ELMN8 products are sprayed on hydrocarbon contamination, they oxidize it by breaking down the contamination into the individual elements of hydrogen and carbon which then attach to oxygen and produce the byproducts of water and carbon dioxide. There is no need to clean up or pick up anything to haul and dispose of. The contamination is treated instantly and in place. On average, the savings is 60% over hauling and disposing of the contaminated water or soil. Additionally, when hauled, there is potential for a secondary spill while traveling down our roadways.
Emergency responders who have implemented the use of the ELMN8 product line have been pleased with their results. Several responders have cited that they have been able to charge the insurance companies less while completing the cleanup in a faction of the time, and because of these, there has been less of a struggle to collect from the insurance companies. Others have cited being asked by insurance companies why they didn’t utilize a product like ELMN8 to treat in real time and in place, as opposed to hauling the contamination away driving up the cost of the cleanup and ultimately their bill. OMG Solutions has seen that the insurance industry has keyed into a product like this as being an option of reducing the time it takes to complete a cleanup and the costs to do it while lowering the environmental impact of the hydrocarbon spill. Furthermore, addressing in real time gets the emergency responders out of danger faster and keeps the contamination from continuing to spread which also drives up cost. This is becoming the preferred method that will ultimate change the way all emergency responders are expected to address hydrocarbon spills.
OMG Solutions has teamed up with other HazMat and emergency response experts such as Perry Beaty of FlowStop Pipes and Plugs as the veteran who provides specialized certified 40-Hour HAZWOPER training drawing from his longevity in the emergency response industry to provide real-world expertise to those in his class offered through his HazMat Responder Network as well as teaming up with Charles D. Fator, President and CEO of Hanby Environmental. The three have complementary products that are the ideal solution for emergency responders during a hydrocarbon spill response. The FlowStop product line provides the means to stop the flow of the hydrocarbon contamination, contain it, and implement a means of getting the bulk of the hydrocarbon addressed. Hanby Environmental products are the Field Test Kits providing the means to have the real-time feedback of hydrocarbon contamination level, documenting the beginning and ending of the cleanup and the progress during the cleanup process. These couple with the OMG Solutions product line of treating and eliminating the hydrocarbon contamination in place and in real time. The combination of all three product lines are referred to as “The Triple Threat” and have been happily received in the emergency response industry. Responding to hydrocarbon spills, you can’t afford to not implement “The Triple Threat,” so get in contact with all three companies and get the best tools in the industry for effective hydrocarbon contamination management! ◆
