Cleaner removes oil, asphalt throughout California facility

By: Cathy Somers

Tricor Refining, Bakersfield, Calif., consists of a processing, transloading and storage facility for hazardous and non-hazardous material, petroleum products and asphalt. With over 500,000 barrels of asphalt storage and an additional 500,000 barrels of storage for other petroleum products, a lot of material is manufactured and moved through the refinery. Crafco’s Clean’It is used on a regular basis to clean oil and asphalt off the equipment, valves, parts and flooring throughout their massive facility, but back in 2008 they really put the cleaner to the test.

One of Tricor’s asphalt tanks overflowed, leaving the equivalent of approximately 800 barrels of material contained within one of the tank blocks. Once the 6-in.-deep layer of asphalt was drained there was still a layer of the material covering every surface that had been submerged. For Tricor’s large task they opted to use a pressure scrubber in conjunction with the cleaner. All traces of the asphalt were removed, including all of the concrete pad area.

The cleaner is biodegradable, non-toxic and non-corrosive, and while it is generally geared more towards contractors and other individuals that require a product to clean asphalt off their tools and equipment, it can also be used in more unconventional ways. The non-corrosive quality makes it safe to use on painted surfaces and the cleaner is designed to leave a protective film on the surface to help prevent future buildup.