Question: Can I use the oil-only mat to filter the oil out of a mixture with water?
Answer: When I think of filtering, the first thing that pops into my mind is pouring pasta into a colander and the water and pasta immediately being separated. This is possible with some absorbents, but not others.
To filter oily water, you’ll want to choose PIG® Oil Absorbent Filter Mat. It absorbs and retains oil and lets clean water pass through. Pour oily water through it, and only water flows out. Or put it in the path of oily water for the same effect—for instance, to keep hydrocarbons out of waterways. The various forms—pads, rolls, strips and towels—are UV-resistant and built for outdoor use such as surrounding storm drains, catching oily outflow, removing sheens and capturing pollutants.
Another option is the PIG Pour-Through Oily Water Drum Filter. As the name suggests, you can pour through it, but another use is at the bottom of a rain spout, because oil is often present in building runoff due to grease traps or leaking HVAC equipment. This product separates oil from water through gravity; oily water enters the filter and filtered water flows out of drain. The process works as water flow through 6 layers of oil-only absorbent pillows to filter oil from the water.
Filtering is not a job for oil-only mat, which requires contact time with the oil for it to absorb it fully. You couldn’t pour a tray of oil and water through a mat and expect an immediate separation. The mat actually repels water, so the water would run around it rather than through it. If you have a sump that you can pour oily water into, you should be able to absorb the oil floating on the water with oil-only mats, socks or pillows. But if you plan to place the mat in your sink strainer, you won’t have as much luck. The water will hit the mat and splash/flow away, carrying the oil with it as well.
6 Comments
AJsays:
02/03/2018 at 10:45 amAre there smaller versions or similar materials to the Oil-Only Mat?
Brittanysays:
03/05/2018 at 4:24 pmHi AJ,
The smallest oil-only mat that we stock is 15” x 20”, but it can be cut with scissors or a safety knife to fit into smaller areas.
Thanks,
Brittany
CSsays:
11/07/2018 at 7:05 amCan this or something equivalent be used to separate water from oil….thanks in advance
Karensays:
11/15/2018 at 12:28 pmOil-only mats will not remove water from oil. We do offer a product called Water Hog that is designed to remove water from the bottom of fuel storage tanks. It will not, however, remove water that is emulsified in an oil solution.
Tysays:
03/11/2019 at 8:11 pmWill this remove oil from water?
Isabella Andersensays:
07/02/2019 at 11:53 amHi there, the oily water filter mat and the pour-through oily water drum filter will remove free oils that float on water. They will not demulsify an oily-water solution or remove trace oils that are suspended in water.
Leave a Reply