Everything a potentially polluting company should know about the drain cover to avoid environmental catastrophes.
The drain cover can be considered an essential device in the industrial sector, especially when it comes to vacuuming or decanting tanks containing chemical or polluting substances. Technically, it is a protective mat designed to guarantee safety and prevent the spillage of polluting liquids into the sewer system during transfer operations. These mats adapt perfectly to manholes, being available in different sizes, and forming an airtight seal that prevents the dispersion of substances. Thanks to its resistance and anti-corrosion material, the manhole cover promises a safer working environment, significantly reducing the risk of accidents and contamination.
Why use a drain cover mat?
How can you secure your company against all types of possible accidents? For example, if a fire broke out, you would rush to get a fire extinguisher: but what if a pollutant liquid leak occurred?
To prevent irreparable damage to the ecosystem, criminal penalties, and even the risk of having to suspend or abandon your business, emergency devices that are as simple as they are effective are now available to help industries and hauliers. These are drain covers.
The question is simple: compared to other solutions, why use a drain cover mat?
In industrial settings, especially during leaks of contaminating fluid substances, special absorbents for polluting liquids are used as a temporary solution to a spill.
However, their action can be ineffective when sewage accidentally seeps into the drains.
For this reason, other solutions may be preferable to these industrial absorbents, or used alongside them.
An example? The Green Mat system developed by Carvel S.r.l. for managing accidental leaks of toxic liquids into the environment.
Specifically, these are manhole covers, whose main function is to contain environmental damage resulting from leaks of liquid pollutants, oils, and hydrocarbons.
Drains, in fact, represent one of the major pathways for groundwater contamination.
Green Mat mats should be applied to the drain grates that connect the street level to the sewage system, so as to seal them hermetically when operations at risk of spilling are underway.
Why is it mandatory to use drain covers?
It is not only advisable to apply drain covers in certain situations: sometimes it is mandatory. Therefore, why is it mandatory to use drain covers?
There is legislation that regulates and penalizes the unauthorized discharge of dangerous substances into the sewage network: this is Legislative Decree no. 152 of 2006.
Furthermore, there is also the International Agreement regulating the transport of goods by road (ADR), in force since 2009, which requires ADR drain cover mats as part of the on-board equipment of vehicles.
In addition to the regulations, those operating in the industrial and chemical sectors should always consider pollution prevention methods, as they are far more economical than remediation interventions after damage has been done.
Effective protective action, after all, can be implemented simply by identifying the internal areas of a company where there are drains connected to the sewage network, and then temporarily covering them with Green Mat mats.
What types of drain covers exist?
When trying to avoid leaks of polluting liquids, various types and systems of industrial absorbency come into play. Specifically, however, what types of drain covers exist?
Among the best preventive systems, drain covers are essentially safety mats that are applied to manholes before certain operations and then removed.
There are also flexible open dams with a triangular section that form a barrier around the drains, useful for diverting spills.
What materials are drain covers made of?
If cast iron drain cover grates or an iron drain cover are not able to seal the drain against polluting liquids, updated and contemporary solutions are needed, just like the system Green Mat by Carvel S.r.l.. Regarding the latter, what materials are drain covers made of?
These mats are made of technopolymers resistant to water, hydrocarbons, and the most aggressive chemical components.
How are Green Mat drain covers used?
In the event of accidental spills, the first thing to do is to seal the drains closest to the affected area. In this regard, how are Green Mat drain covers used?
The use of drain covers produced by Carvel S.r.l. is very simple.
Simply place the mats over the manhole grates, removing the protective film and taking care to keep it for subsequent uses.
The mats will adhere perfectly to the drains, sealing them until removal. The covering system works even if the flooring around the drains is uneven or porous.
It is necessary to choose drain covers of the most suitable size, therefore 8-10 cm larger per side than the opening.
Green Mat is produced in the sizes 120×120 cm, 46×46 cm, 61×61 cm and 91×91 cm. For each variant, two different thicknesses are available: 0.8 cm or 1.3 cm.
After use, it will be sufficient to wash the drain cover mats with detergent and water: their lifespan will benefit if they can be stored in a dedicated cabinet or box.
Extreme temperatures, below 5 degrees and above 45 degrees, can alter the state of the drain cover mat and the protective film.
In case of contact of the mat with dangerous substances, it will be necessary to follow the instructions of the local authorities regarding the disposal and decontamination of special-toxic waste.
