Diesel puddle

Richard · Dec 13, 2002

I always keep Brutus topped off with fuel. Other day noticed a broken tube, turns out it was the return hose from the injector rail back to the tank.

No problems thought I, I'll get one tomorrow.

Upshot.. over night, gallons (10 foot circle) of diesel dripped out of that tiny hole drop by drop and of course, Brutus was parked right next to garage, (where wifey usually parks).

Today, I have this area saturated with diesel, is it 5 gallons or 20 I do not know for sure as I've been too busy to refill that which as been lost (read: I do NOT want to know)

None the less, the area, garage and also house all smell of diesel, so I know I lost more than a pint /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif.

I'm looking for cleanup ideas, it's been raining and I think that will be good for helping it wash away, or soak into ground (lots of clay, so that is slow process). I have run hose for several hours to help flush driveway (which is gravel by the way) Of course, as the water flows (rain/hose) all drains next to sidewalk so there is NO escaping this mess.

I have thought of taking dishwashing liquid and simply squirting a bottle around hoping it might help break down the diesel faster.. or, put into pressure can and spray gravel...

As this is where wife parks her car, and I also walk through here to my car, you can't but help get on shoes and track into car, house other...the 2 pups feet smell.... sigh....

(yes guys..I'm in hot water /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif )

Any ideas on how to help disolve, move, soak the remaining diesel out of a gravel driveway?

Thanks
Richard

DUMBDOG · Dec 13, 2002

Kitty litter will pick up oil on a garage floor, might just work for the diesel on gravel.

Richard · Dec 13, 2002

Thought of that, but (in my view) wouldn't that be similar to trying to soak it up in the grass?

It's not a "puddle" per se, the ground is soaked, and the gravel is soaked.

(hmm.. could this be another use created for a backhoe??? just dig my driveway out?)

Bird · Dec 13, 2002

I don't really know, but I think your idea about the liquid detergent would be your best bet, especially if you have some kind of spray rig to get it more or less evenly distributed over the area instead of just squirting a stream on part of it.

RobertN · Dec 13, 2002

try simple green... at the fire station I used to work at, we used it to clean up after all kinds of ickynesses

Stonewall · Dec 13, 2002

This is a great oportunity to save the day with the tractor. As it is winter, it is cold and the sun is low at best it will take a LOOOOONG time for that fuel to evaporate and stop stinking up the place. Scrape off the gravel and put it someplace where it will not offend you or your environment - no erosion control! You might have to scrape off some dirt as well. The longer you wait the deeper it will go. Then get some fresh gravel and dress out the top for the Mrs' and you're done. My VFD training tells me that any spill under 50 gallons is not a haz-mat emergency and is considered a "small spill" and not subject to the most stringent regulations of the EPA. Mr. Haz Mat could set us straight for sure if his "Handle" on the forum reflects his vocation.

WVBill · Dec 13, 2002

Simple Green is a good idea. I slopped some diesel on my clothes when re-fueling my Kubota one time. Washed them in the washer with simple green instead of Tide and it took all of the diesel smell / residue away.

Try diluting it 50/50 in a garden sprayer and spraying your spilled area. Let stand for a while then rinse the gravel with clear water.

Richard · Dec 13, 2002

I'll have to try some of this simple green stuff...

Where does one get it? Kroger? Walmart (nooooooooo), Ace hardware? other?

Thanks

Von · Dec 13, 2002

Since you used water already my idea won't work, but I was going to say use a match! Just burn it off. Of course after you move the tractor and cars out of harms way!

WVBill · Dec 13, 2002

You can probably get it at all of the above plus Tractor Supply, Southern States or any other "farm spply" store.

Stonewall · Dec 13, 2002

Guys.... It's been washed into porous ground and rocks. It ain't gonna wash back out. It's wet and absorbed in to porous ground and rocks you would need a weed torch the size of a garbage can to cook it out of there. AND consider the agrieved party - she won't be happy until it's nice and clean - you know? Clean sheets and all.

WVBill · Dec 13, 2002

Actually, Simple Green will help wash the diesel the rest of the way through the porous ground and rocks if not wash it back out. Simple Green is just a detergent. Detergents break the surface tension of dirt, break it down into small particles and make it slippery so it rinses away. What you're trying to do is rinse the diesel down into the soil so it is dispersed and filtered away. That will happen naturally over time with rain and weather - you just need to give it a little help in that direction.

Here's how the Simple Green web site says the same thing in "salesman speak mumbo-jumbo":

"Micro-Particulate Fractionalization™ (MPF) is the process whereby Simple Green All Purpose Cleaner/Degreaser breaks down large globs of oil, grease and fat into increasingly smaller microscopic droplets called "micelles.""

You certainly could dig it up and haul it away and be done with it. One significant advantage to that approach is seat time!

hazmat · Dec 13, 2002

Stonewall,

My handle is taken from the name my mother christened the kid's boat, not from my vocation, (which is mechanical engineer in case you're wondering.) I was on the VFD when in college.

I'd have used speedy dry or kitty litter before washing it down to absorb as much as possible. I think now your options are to move the gravel/dirt or wait it out. Not familiar with the simple green stuff. I do know there is something that is used to disperse fuel when spilled while refueling a boat. Not sure what it is.

Richard · Dec 13, 2002

Thanks all for the ideas... I will try to find some of that green stuff on way home. Thankfully, it is raining today and I think that will help keep moving it along a bit.

Sure was amazing the size "wet spot" that can eminate from a 3/16 size hole drip by drip!!

Actually, moving much of the rock/dirt isn't a good option as right UNDER this part of driveway, is the water supply to house, the electrical line to the well pump and the drainage line from the downspout to the woods.

Maybe I can get a good buy on toothbrushes and start scrubbing....rock by rock.../w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

Richard

Anonymous Poster · Dec 13, 2002

Since it's diesel, it ain't as bad of a problem as you think.
Diesel can be completely eliminated from soil by adding a layer of wood chips, and tilling them in to "fluff" the soil, and then adding PIG SHUT to the mix and tilling it again. Then, cover the whole mess with a plastic sheet.
6 months from now all you'll have is RICH soil.
If you can't get Pig manure, high nitrate content chemicle fertilizer will work too.
For rocks, visit your friendly barber shop, and get all the hair you can. Stuf the hair loosley into used pantihose, and lay them on the oil. The oil will wick onto the hair. The hair can then be disposed of in a proper landfill, or run thru the washing machine and reused.

Stonewall · Dec 13, 2002

Thanks hazmat. Here all this time I was envisioning you driving your little blue tractor in a big blue suit

I know you're right about the fuel dispersment medium for marine spills. I seem to remember that there is also a product out there that is a common by-product of modern manufacturing or food processing that can be spread out on standing petro spills to break them down. Can't remember the names of either one right now - Friday the 13th I guess.

MDNick · Dec 13, 2002

Richard,

I vote with the simple green or actually dawn. It takes grease out of your way, maybe it'll take diesel to. I like dish soap. It is safe, and a good cleaner. Simple green is good stuff to. Comes recommended for cleaning heat pump/refrigeration coils by a HVAC mechanic. Also very impressive to use on heat pump coils, when the heat pump kicks on. It suds up very nice. One thing I wouldn't do is talk about it. Not to anyone, tell wifey and the dogs not to talk about. Don't tell anyone on the internet about it. Oh yeah, nix that last recommendation. If the wrong folks here about it, you WILL be removing that soil. And disposing of as haz waste. $$$$

Richard · Dec 13, 2002

Uh....talk about WHAT?

/w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

EdDekker · Dec 14, 2002

Not long ago I remember reading a study of the clean-up from the Exxon Valdez spill.

The study compared three methods of cleanup (detergent, steam, and the addition of fertilizer) to doing nothing. The Steam cleaning and the addition of detergent to the soil along the shore had the most immediate effect. It looked better after the treatment, however there was still considerable oil soaked into the soil just below the surface out of sight. The addition of fertilizer had no immediate effect.

Medium term in the areas treated with detergent or steam cleaned the oil remained just below the surface longer than the untreated areas.

Long term (10 years) almost all areas the bacteria returned and eaten the oil below the surface.

The theory was that the steam sterilized the soil killing the soil bacteria and forcing the bacterial population to rebuild from nothing in order to eat the subsurface oil.

According to the theory the detergent killed much of the soil bacteria and slowed the growth of the rest by helping leach nutrients from the soil.

Medium term the untreated areas were surprisingly better than the steam or detergent treated areas and second only to the fertilizer treated area.

The areas treated with a nitrogen-phosphate fertilizer had the best medium term results, with most of the ground free of visible oil. With the addition of the fertilizer the soil bacteria ate the oil fairly well.

I guess this means that if you dont want to dig out the diesel soaked dirt, you have a choice between the best short term result (with a detergent) or the best medium term result (by applying fertilizer).

Unfortunately I don't have a citation for the study but a web search for "exxon valdez bioremediation" and "oil spill bioremediation" turn up many hits.

(I guess the bright side is that it wasn't a spill of used motor oil. Diesel is clean compared to all the combustion byproducts and heavy metals in used motor oil.)