A Galveston terminal in Texas has come up with a novel idea to improve its operations both economically and environmentally - it is ‘repurposing’ conveyor belts to use as spill containment liners.
The Galveston terminal facility offloads railroad tanker cars onto ships, but sometimes the tanker rail cars leak some of their content onto the rail sidings as they await unloading.
The purchase of 5,000 feet of used conveyor belting from American company repurposedMATERIALS, is seen by the terminal as a solution to the problem. The belting is laid between the tracks to absorb any leaks meaning that any spillage onto the tracks or road is prevented.
Galveston terminal wanted to use preventative measures to ensure that environmental impact remains minimal. And it makes sense from an operational point of view too – fewer spillages mean less delays to cargo throughput owing to any cleanup operation.
Recycling of course warrants a huge amount of time, energy and expense, so repurposing may be an attractive prospect for operators - it’s also a good way to deal with waste products, because they get a second life “as is."
And it seems that conveyor belts are not the only items that have been given a second life at ports and terminals. Billboard vinyl and rubber roofing membrane is currently repurposed to cover large loads during shipment to keep the rain out and the product intact. Old fire hoses are being reused to create dock bumpers, super sacks, which can hold up to 2,000 pounds, are filled with sand and used for levees and steel cables are being used as mooring lines, short lines, and barge wire.
