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DENSORB® Product Check: Absorbent Mats Vs. Mineral Granules

One of the most important things to consider about spilled liquids is how fast, safe and thorough they can be removed. But other factors, such as the cost of cleaning up, also play a major role.

Companies often choose to use mineral granules for absorbing liquids, but are DENSORB mats an alternative choice? We wanted to know so we put both products to the test in a tough performance comparison.

The criteria: absorption capacity, application, cost, time and storage.

Table of Contents

Absorption Capacity
Application
Costs
Time needed
Storage
Our overall verdict

Absorption Capacity

	Mineral Gruanules	DENSORB® Oil mats
Absorption Capacity	Approximately same as own weight	Up to 16 times own weight

The excellent capillary action of the DENSORB absorbent mats ensures a uniform distribution of the absorbed liquid and therefore ensures ideal use of the absorption capacity. DENSORB absorbent mats can absorb up to 16 times more liquid than mineral granules.

Result:

More is more – the points go to DENSORB® mats.

Application

The area of application is the most important issue for an absorbent material when cleaning up leaks and spills. We have put both products to the test.

Indoors

Indoors, DENSORB® absorbents impress with their flexibility. In contrast to granules, they are not only suitable for cleaning up leaks, but also for many other purposes: for example as a underlay for repair, cleaning and maintenance work or for wiping down dirty surfaces and parts. They can also be used long term - for example on machinery where drips often need to be contained. DENSORB® is also a real alternative to dusty granules in areas where cleanliness is required.

Mineral granules have an advantage here only in rare applications: For example, when extremely hot liquids are to be absorbed. The melting point of the DENSORB® binding fleece is 160 ° C. At higher temperatures granules are the more suitable agent.

Outdoors

Granules are often used in outdoor areas or on roads. There is a reason for this: Granules also penetrate into small depressions, therefore enabling better fluid absorption on rough and cracked surfaces. As a result, they also ensure maximum slip resistance.

DENSORB® mats have an advantage in one special application: on water. Oil absorbents in granular form have a significant disadvantage here in terms of environmental damage. A good alternative here is the use of floating DENSORB® oil mats and oil barriers.

Result:

A draw! While DENSORB® mats impress with their flexible application possibilities indoors and on water, granules are more appropriate for rough surfaces outdoors and for special cases such as the absorption of extremely hot liquids. Both products win a point here.

Costs

Let's be honest - cost is always going to play an important role for companies, so we've done the calculations. How much does it cost to absorb 10 litres of oil using absorbent mats compared to mineral granules?

DENSORB® absorbents mats absorb oil up to 16 times their own weight. Thanks to their higher absorption capacity, less material is needed, so less waste is produced. If the purchase and disposal costs are combined, this results in a total saving of 60% compared to conventional granules!

An additional benefit: when using granules, you often spread more than is actually needed. DENSORB® mats make it much easier to use just the right amount.

	Mineral Granules	DENSORB® Oil Absorbents
Quantity needed	12,5 kg	3,28 m x 0,76 m Economy Light
Purchase costs	£14.06	£4.41
Disposal quantity	21,5 kg	9,95 kg
Disposal costs (e.g. £0.65 /kg)	£12.29	£5.69
Total costs	£26.35	£10.10

Result:

The point for lower costs clearly goes to DENSORB® mats.

Time needed

Time is money, they say. But when you're faced with a leak, losing time cleaning it up also poses an additional risk. We recorded the time our testers needed to use both products.

DENSORB® absorbent mats absorbed the leaked liquid faster than the granules. DENSORB® also has advantages after the cleaning up has been done - while the granules have to be swept up and scooped together, absorbent mats can be quickly collected and disposed of. Granules can also stick to shoes and spread further meaning even more work.

	Mineral Granules	DENSORB® Oil Absorbents
Time needed	20 Minutes	3-5 Minutes

Result:

DENSORB® mats win the race and pick up the point for the shortest time needed to clean up the leak.

Storage

When it comes to storage, companies want to use as little space as possible. Which product will take up the least storage space? For our test, we compared the amount of absorbent materials needed to absorb 10 litres of oil.

The low weight and volume of DENSORB® absorbent mats is clear - for the same absorption capacity, much less storage space is required.

	Mineral Granules	DENSORB® Oil Absorbents
Storage volume and quantity	25 Litres (12.5 kg)	5 Litres (0.95 kg)

Result:

Space saved – another point for DENSORB® mats.

Our overall verdict

DENSORB® absorbent mats are a reliable and flexible aid in many application situations, saving you time and money.

Therefore, they are in many cases a much better and more economical alternative to granules. We recommend that you use your risk assessment to check which substances you handle in your company and what tasks are undertaken using these substances. Depending on what is more efficient for your specific application, you should choose the type and amount of absorbents required for everyday and emergency use. If you can not do without granules, we also offer you a tried-and-tested selection of mineral and non-mineral products in our range.