AdBlue® is not classed as a dangerous good for transport in Australia, but a spill still needs to be dealt with. Left alone, it dries into white urea crystals, it can get into stormwater drains, and it makes floors and loading areas slippery. Many sites already have a spill kit on hand, but it is often the wrong type for AdBlue.
Why oil-only kits don't work on AdBlue
Spill kits come in three broad types:
- Oil-only (hydrocarbon) kits — usually white absorbents that soak up oil and diesel but repel water.
- General purpose kits — usually grey absorbents that soak up oil, coolant, water and most water-based liquids.
- Chemical (hazmat) kits — usually yellow absorbents for acids, alkalis and a wider range of chemicals.
AdBlue is 32.5% urea in water. An oil-only absorbent is designed to reject water, so it will not soak up AdBlue properly. You end up pushing liquid around rather than containing it.
For AdBlue, use a general purpose or chemical spill kit.
What a good AdBlue spill kit contains
A general purpose spill kit sized for your storage typically includes:
- Absorbent socks to surround the spill and stop it spreading.
- Absorbent pads to soak up the liquid.
- Loose absorbent or pillows for larger volumes.
- Gloves and eye protection — AdBlue is mildly irritating to skin and eyes.
- Disposal bags and ties for used absorbents.
- A drain cover, where drains are nearby.
- A clear container — a wheelie bin or bag — kept where people can see it.
Size the kit to the volume you store in any single container. A 20 L kit may cover a ute with a few drums, but a site with IBCs or a bulk tank needs a larger kit, and possibly more than one. It also helps to keep the kit in a bright, clearly labelled container so it is easy to spot in an emergency, and to include it in site inductions so new staff know where it is.
Cleaning up an AdBlue spill
A straightforward process works for most spills:
- Stop the source if it is safe — close the valve, stand the container upright or stop the pump.
- Put on gloves and eye protection.
- Contain the spill with socks, and cover any nearby drains.
- Absorb the liquid with pads or loose absorbent.
- Bag the used absorbents and dispose of them in line with your site and council requirements.
- Rinse the area with plenty of water to remove residue. Don't let rinse water run to stormwater.
If the spill has already dried, you will see white crystals. These dissolve readily in water and can be rinsed off, then the rinse water absorbed or collected.
For larger spills, or where AdBlue has reached a drain or waterway, follow your site's environmental procedures and check with your state EPA about reporting obligations.
Where to keep your spill kit
A spill kit is only useful if people can reach it quickly. Place it:
- Close to the AdBlue tank, IBC or drum storage area — but not so close that a spill would block access to it.
- At dispensing points where vehicles are filled.
- In service vehicles and utes carrying AdBlue drums.
Something you can do today: check the colour of the absorbents in the spill kit near your AdBlue storage. If they are white (oil-only), swap or add a general purpose kit, and make sure everyone who handles AdBlue knows which kit to grab.
Check and restock kits after every use. A kit with half its pads missing won't be much help when you need it. A quick monthly look, ticked off on the same checklist as your fire extinguishers, keeps it ready.
Preventing spills in the first place
Most AdBlue spills come from the same few causes: overfilled vehicle tanks, open IBC valves, damaged hoses and tankers overfilling storage. Auto shut-off nozzles, high-level alarms on bulk tanks and regular hose checks go a long way. So does a drip tray under IBC outlets.
How Liquidia can help: We supply Stratex general purpose spill kits suited to AdBlue, and bundles that pair an IBC and gravity feed kit with a spill kit. See our spill kit range or the online store bundles.