Case Record – Bioremediation in Rail

Details:

Date: Business Group:

2003 Carillion Rail

Issue

When we have an oil spill on ballast it is almost impossible to clean up without digging up the whole track and ballast which would entail closing the rail line for days, costing tens of thousands of pounds and would mean disposing of large amounts of special waste.

Solution

The oil cleanup company we use, Abzorboil, use a dry power that contains bacteria that becomes active when wet. Any process like this is known as Bioremediation. This dry power will break down the oil in situ. In addition all Carillion Rail plant uses Panolin, biodegradable hydraulic oil, so any long-term risk from spilling this oil is already reduced.

Business Benefits:

• Cost savings
• Impact on the environment limited
• Less waste sent to landfill