For too many years, clay-based absorbents (kitty litter) have been considered the industry standard for cleaning up oil spills everywhere, from small automotive shops to large industrial settings. The strange truth is that according to the fundamentals of chemistry, clay isn’t even considered an absorbent. This is because clay isn’t able to take a spill into its structure and does not expand. Technically kitty litter is an ADsorbent. When using an ADsorbent, a spill is only able to coat the outside of the clay particles based on the surface area which in turn requires a whole lot of product. Ever wonder why kitty litter comes in such large heavy bags? They have to in order to pick up even the smallest spill.

CocoAbsorb™ on the other hand is a true absorbent. Its naturally porous honeycomb structure can increase up to nine times its own mass, allowing for the encapsulation and absorption of a spill with a lot less product.

The other downside to using an ADsorbent to pick up a spill is that you’d better have time to spare because it’s going to take a while. Clay can actually take up to 45 min to become completely “covered” in a spill. We’ve talked with facility managers who when confronted with a sizable spill, would actually pour down the kitty litter and run it over and over with a forklift! Who’s got time for that?

When using CocoAbsorb™ to clean up a spill the results are about 85% quicker than using kitty litter. You are actually able to see the swelling of the product as CocoAbsorb™ takes the spill into its structure.

Remember those heavy bags we mentioned? These bags are not the easiest thing to have to deal with when rushing to clean up a spill. The average weight of a bag of clay is about 50 lbs., which can only deal with a measly one gallon of spilled motor oil.

Even a relatively small 4 lb. bag of CocoAbsorb™, can easily clean up 2.5 gallons of motor oil. You would need over 100 lbs. of kitty litter to pick up the same sized spill!

To add insult to injury, clay also contains crystalline-silica, a material the World Health Organization has classified as a Group 1 carcinogen. That’s the same category as asbestos! When exposed to crystalline-silica dust the human lung is at risk of developing cancer, that’s why OSHA has made the recommendation that businesses move away from kitty litter and find a safer alternative for their spill programs. Read the OSHA fact page here.

So in conclusion, if you enjoy lifting 50 lb. bags filled with dangerous crystalline silica dust and have about an hour to kill on a spill. Then stick with the clay-based kitty litter because that’s exactly what you get.

But if you prefer efficiency and effectiveness – avoid the backache, save your lungs and clean up spills in just minutes with CocoAbsorb™. Get your very own bag here.