Oil and Grease Removal

What builds up, and why it is a problem

Oil and grease accumulation in a plant comes from a handful of sources that never stop: hydraulic systems, gearbox and bearing lubrication, chain oilers, coolant carryover, and in food plants the product itself. It migrates from the equipment onto guards and bases, off the bases onto the floor, and from the floor onto every route people walk.

It creates three distinct problems, and a plant usually calls about one of them without realizing the other two are the same job.

Slips. An oil film on concrete is the leading cause of same-level fall injuries in industrial facilities. It does not look dramatic and it does not mop off, which is why plants live with it until someone goes down.

Fire. Accumulated oil is fuel. Oil-soaked insulation, residue near heat sources, saturated absorbent and rags, and grease on equipment adjacent to hot work all appear on fire inspection reports with regularity.

Equipment and inspection. Oil-coated machinery hides wear, leaks and cracks. Maintenance cannot inspect what it cannot see, and a leak that would have been caught early becomes a failure.

What the work involves

Survey and identification. The first question is what the residue actually is. Petroleum-based oils, synthetic lubricants, vegetable and animal fats, and cutting or coolant emulsions each respond to different chemistry. The second question is what is underneath it: sealed concrete, bare concrete, coated steel, stainless, painted surfaces or precision tooling. Those two answers set the method.

Containment. Drains blocked or diverted, berms set, and a collection point established before any chemical or water is applied. In a plant with a discharge permit, the plan is written to what the permit allows.

Protection and isolation. Electrical, controls and moisture-sensitive equipment are isolated or protected. Lockout is applied to the plant’s procedure where equipment is being cleaned.

Application and dwell. Degreasing agent applied at the right concentration and given the dwell time the product needs. This is where most in-house attempts fail: the chemical is applied and rinsed before it has done anything, so the oil is spread rather than lifted.

Agitation. Hardened and layered deposits need mechanical help. Brushes, scrubbers and, on floors, powered equipment break the deposit so the chemistry can reach through it.

Rinse and recovery. Pressure washing, usually heated, rinses the released material to the containment, where it is collected.

Sensitive surfaces. Electrical components, precision tooling and anything that cannot take water or chemistry are cleaned with dry ice blasting instead, in the same visit.

Disposal and documentation. Collected oil, water and debris are characterized and disposed of to EPA and local requirements. Safety data sheets, the disposal record and before-and-after photographs come back with the job.

Drying and handback. Floors are recovered, dried and inspected before release. Handing back a wet or still-slick floor defeats the purpose of the visit.

Where the work happens

• Production floors, aisles and the areas around machines
• Machinery housings, guards, bases and frames
• Conveyor systems, chains, drives and take-ups
• Pits, trenches and containment areas holding oil and sludge
• Structural steel and support members below leaking equipment
• Loading docks, ramps and forklift traffic routes
• Compressor, boiler and mechanical rooms

Sector notes

Food and beverage. Degreasing agents and process must meet FDA and USDA sanitation expectations and the plant’s own approved chemical list. Vegetable oil and animal fat residues behave differently from petroleum and need different chemistry.

Plastics and coatings. Precision tooling and molds cannot take aggressive chemistry or abrasion. These are dry ice work, not degreasing work, and the survey will say so.

Automotive and metal fabrication. Cutting fluid, coolant and way oil on floors, machines and chip handling, usually the heaviest accumulations Kelly encounters.

Paper and corrugated. Lubricant migration combined with paper dust produces a compacted residue that needs both agitation and heat to release.

Cleaning is not repair

A degreasing job removes what has accumulated. It does not stop a leaking seal, a failed gearbox gasket or an over-applied chain oiler. Where the source is obvious, Kelly will point it out, because the alternative is a plant paying for the same clean every quarter and believing that is normal. Once the source is addressed, the interval usually stretches a long way.