Fuel-eating bacteria digests oil spills in Essex

Microorganisms are being deployed on Essex roads to transform the way fuel spillages are cleared.

Essex Highways is using microbiology to clean up fuel spills as one of the first authorities to deploy microorganisms on a road network.

Traditional methods of clearing fuel spills rely on sand and other absorbent materials. This can require road closures for up to three to six hours, depending on the size, as well as costly clean-ups.

The Fuel Spill Digester is an eco-friendly alternative which uses natural bacteria and enzymes to quickly ‘eat’ fuel, oils and solvents spilled on roads.

As soon as the microorganism is sprayed onto a spill, the enzymes break down the fuel’s harmful components while bacteria digest them.

Dangerous and slippery fuel is transformed into water within minutes and lanes can be reopened to traffic within an hour, depending on the size of the spillage.

Fuel Spill Digester is already used in some petrol stations but Essex County Council is one of the first local authorities to roll it out for use on a road network.

Some of the benefits include:

• quickly restoring roads back to safety within minutes, reducing closure delays
• only leaving behind water, reducing the costly and harmful need to dispose of contaminated absorbents via landfill
• works on tarmac, concrete and soil

Councillor Tom Cunningham, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport at Essex County Council, said: “Nobody wants to be stuck in traffic because of fuel spills which can take hours to clean. This new biological solution can get roads up and running much faster, while also ensuring we protect the environment without the need to dispose of contaminated absorbents.

"Fuel Spill Digestor is a smart way to make the highways of Essex safer, greener and healthier for everyone.”