Current list of FAQs:

Q:  I saw that you have "GTS" on the cover of your Catalog. What does GTS mean?

A:  Breg International was one of the first sorbent manufacturers to have its sorbent products certified for incinerability by GTS Duratek. What exactly does that mean? GTS Duratek, formerly known as the Scientific Ecology Group (SEG) is one of the world's largest processors of low-level radioactive nuclear waste (LLRW). They own and operate a commercially licensed LLRW incinerator in the United States. Their incineration services reward customers with the highest volume reduction ratios possible for contaminated burnable materials. Not all seemingly burnable items can be incinerated. The GTS Duratek Certified Incinerable program characterizes and identifies incinerator-acceptable materials and items. Breg International is an approved vendor of GTS Duratek. Properly identified certified incinerables benefit the industry and the environment.



Q:  Why do I see the different words "absorption" and "adsorption"?

A:  Here are the main differences in "absorption" versus "adsorption";
During absorption, fluid is taken up into the physical structure or fibers of the sorbent.
SpongeTM  Basic Product line offers high rates of absorption. Fluids are absorbed into the cellulose filler.
Adsorption occurs when fluids cling to the surfaces of the sorbent fibers. SpongeTM  Oil-Only line is a good example of how hydrocarbons will cling to the surface of a synthetic polypropylene filler.



Q:  What is the difference between the yellow and the gray mats?

A:  Both mats are part of Breg's Universal product line, designed to eliminate guesswork by absorbing water, oil, coolant, aggressive chemicals, etc. The Yellow mat is a preferred color for Safety, Lab and Response applications. Gray is typically used by Industrial customers.



Q:  Hae Yi from Momar, Inc. asks: What is the difference between a snake, boom, and shark? Is there a difference in application for these three types of models? If so, what is the difference?

A:  I'm glad you asked Hae Yi...

 
Snakes, Booms and Sharks are all tubular sorbents shaped like, well, snakes, but they come in different diameters - from 3 to 8 inches - as well as different lengths - from 18 inches to 20 feet and longer. 
 
But the first step in choosing the right one is knowing what type of fluid spills you want to clean up. That will narrow your search down to one of our three sorbent product lines: Basic, Oil Only or Universal.
 
If you're soaking up common, industrial fluids like oils, inks, dyes, paints or even water choose a product from Breg's Basic Line of sorbents. Are you interested in absorbing oil-based fluid but NOT water? Then the Oil Only Product Line is your answer. Finally, Chemicals like acids, caustics and solvents may be picked up using our Universal Products.
 
Once you've got the product line selected, then choose the size that best suits your needs.
 
The Basic Line offers Snakes and SnakeBOOMs. Basic Snakes, one of our most popular products, are 3" in length and 48" long. They're often used around machinery to catch leaks and drips before they spread to the plant floor making it slippery and unsafe. SnakeBOOMs are our biggest Basic Boom and measure in at a hefty 4" in diameter. This boom can be purchased in either 10 foot or 20 foot lengths. In fact, if you decide on Basic Snakes see our "Specials" web page where this product is on sale for the entire month of March.
 
The Oil Only Product Line offers the biggest selection of booms and is what you'll choose if it's fuel or oil on water that you want to absorb.  There are four types of booms with different sizes and skins. For clarity I'll simply list them here:
 
1. SnakeBOOM - 4" Diameter with 10' length
2. LandSHARK - 5" Diameter with 10' and 20' length
3. SharkBOOM - 5" Diameter with 20' or 40 ' length. This boom has a MESH skin
4. WhaleBOOM - 8" Diameter with 10' or 20' length. This boom is available with MESH skin too.
 
For smaller spills, Oil Only products are also available in a 3" diameter Snake which comes in two lengths - 48" or 8'.
 
Now hang in there because we're almost done. The third product line, Universal, also has Snakes and Booms. The Universal Snake measures in at 3" diameter and 48" in length. The bigger Uni-BOOM is 4" diameter with a 10' or 20' length. Remember, Universal products pick up nearly any acid, caustic or solvent and they'll also pick up water. These are great products to have around if you're not quite sure what type of fluid you'll need to absorb because they're ready for virtually any type of spill.
 
I hope this helps clear things up Hae Yi. If you'd like some help choosing the sorbents for your particular application please call or email us. And that goes for anyone else out there. Our reps are ready to give you more details about our other terrific sorbent, safety, maintenance and containment products as well.



Q:  Do Sorbents help me clean up hazardous materials?

A:  Sorbent materials may be used to contain, control and absorb hazardous or aggressive materials/fluids. This allows one to clean up a spill situation, however, sorbents do not change the characteristics of the fluid absorbed.