Removing hardened glue

Maybe slice through it with a steel cable...like using a cheese wire? Use a hydraulic jack or some such to provide the force? Or tie a loop of wire around it and onto the back of your truck... gotta be a fun thing to try? A wire can be threaded through pretty small holes ...

Del

I like the wire deal kind like a big garrote.

Since it is Water Based, have you tried to disolve it with warm to hot water and pumping it out.

Take a chunk you have already broken off and see if it will disolve.

If it does, problem solved, if not try a hot knife and slice it into manageable pieces.

Regards,
Sapper

Dry ice will do the trick, I have done a bitumen tank and used dry ice to quick freeze it then jackhammer it off, you will need to keep putting down a layer of dry ice from time to time to keep it frozen so may be bit expensive but will be quick and vey safe!!

Hope that helps

Its a good idea using dry ice to harden it allowing it to be broken up, but :-

NEVER IN A CLOSED UP SPACE OR EVEN A SPACE THAT IS SURRONDED BY WALLS UNLESS YOU HAVE BREATHING APARATUS!!!!

CO2 is not poisonous, but it drives the air out and you could suffocate!!

!!!!!BEWARE!!!!!

water

maybe rent a fence post auger Aug some holes and then get a laborer to dig out the rest like swiss cheese cable idea is neat mite be tricky tho

Here are several ideas to consider.

you may be able to slice pieces of the glue off by using a High pressure washer (They have water pressure tools that can produce very high amounts of pressure and you may be able to rent them).

Try a gas powered concrete saw thats hooked up to a water hose and score the top as deep as you can. You may be able to pry small pieces out using a digging bar.

I like the idea of using a wire and cutting it like you would plastic pipe ( pulling the wire back and forth ) Use some water to help lube the wire. Dill two holes that intersect at the bottom and fish wire through.

I hope these suggestions help. Let us know how it works out for you.

Yo slick,

How about use a auger like for a huge post hole but use it for a screw. Twist it in, attach lifting sling etc. and pull it out.

Hilti drill? Drill holes into it to weaken it, and attach it with something like a hammer and bolster-chisel? Chisel-point crowbar?

Hey PWSlack,

The auger idea was to drill twist or and auger apx 3'-4' dia into rubbery and use auger then as a plug puller...

Augers are commonly used to support gas drilling rigs. cables are attached to the auger/screw while it is screwed into the earth. These drill rigs being very temporary the auger/screw is cost effective.

If the glue is white it will still have some water content so you can break it into lumps to let the water evaporate and it will get harder. - Exposure to heat should help it dry further. If you are in a hurry freeze it and then it should crush easily - if you are in Canada this should be easy in the winter but you can use lquid nitrogen or dry ice to make it brittle.

Les Fisher

Hello slick

Probably it is PVA (PolyVinylAcetate) based or Gelatine-based glue.

As suggested, the best method is to freeze it, either solid CO₂ or liquid Nitrogen, with careful precautions, and use a jackhammer to shatter it, then you can just shovel the stuff out.

The workers would require helmets with air supplied from outside, or similar, to prevent asphyxiation.

You would have to check with the disposal people locally, as the product may leach after it thaws, thus causing a problem elsewhere.

Kind Regards....

Solid pva will be inert so will present no problems to the environmenmt - it is in fact contributing as it is fixing carbon & locking it up - hence will help eventually (very small) in CO2 build up.

hay ma go get the chain saw!!!

The freezing idea is a good one as is the high pressure very hot water.

One other thought. We've got a nasty cold front blowing through the area right now, the temp is supposed to go to something close to -15C tonight. Can you just turn off the heat and let nature freeze the material for you? You might have to take the stuff out in frozen layers and let the next layer freeze overnight. I don't know what your schedule is, but letting nature supply the cold would cost less and you don't have to worry about breathing apparatus - just lots of hot coffee!

Hot water will only soften it - it is a thermplastic!

Canadian weather I am sure will come to the rescue eventually - but it musy be as free of water as possible. Don't think you will find any layers - this one big hunk of chewing gum!

If it is water soluble, dissolve it with steam. If it is not water soluble, depending on the area classification, you can perhaps use a torch to harden it and scrape it off using an electric chisel. Make sure there are no flammables in the neighborhood. Electric chisels can be rented from tool rental shops normally used for removing linoleum flooring.

Having had to remove plenty of this in the past be assured it will not dissolve - keep flames away it will be combustible and you will get toxic fumes. Electic chisels will probably bounce unless it is hardened further.

Thank you for all your replies - greatly appreciated. Since the remains of the tank and the glue are inside an industrial-manufacturing building with workers there 24/7 (tank has short spill containment walls on two sides but is not in a separate room) I am hesitant to try dry ice. Since it is indoors the Canadian weather is not helpful.

Due to the consistency of the glue (think soft and rubbery) our attempts at using power tools and even hand tools transfered all the forces to the operator. Thus, I believe drilling holes would be very difficult.

Yesterday I contact two companies that do water blasting - with very high pressures. They will be looking at the Site soon. From my discussions with them this is likely a solution that will be cost effective, efficient and SAFE.

Thank you again for all replys so far. I will post the results hopefully within a week.

Regards,

Slick

They will indeed bounce

Dry Ice is definitely your answer.

cover your glue with dry ice, cover the dry ice, give it about 8 - 12 hours

Jack hammer off the glue. You will only be able to remove as much as is frozen, then start again.

The Dry Ice in a closed in area will freeze quite well, I used to calibrate meters

using dry ice in a thermos, reached close to -40.

Good luck!

The glue that occupies the remaining half of the vertical tank is approximately 10 feet in diameter and 8 feet high. I have some experience with dry ice - purging explosive vapours from tanks. However, due to the thickness (height) of the glue the process of freezing a layer of glue, breaking it off, than freezing another layer of glue...etc. could be quite time consuming.

Slick

One word.......

Dynamite!

bill12780

P.S. This is obviously a joke...Please take it that way...hahaha!

I'd take a small sample and see if a dilute hydrochloric acid solution wouldn't dissolve the glue by hydrolysis and solvation. Otherwise, perhaps the best option is a high pressure water knife to cut thru the material and make it removable. There are a number of companies that do that "gelled reactor" process by water knife.

I'm wondering if rodents would like it?
Could kill two birds..

Rodents, explosives, repeat.

Cut the bottom out of the tank.. perhaps 1 sq foot at a time.. until it starts to slide out (*kinda like mushroom soup out of the can).. be ready with wheel barrows and shovels to 'catch' it ... once one section is emptied or stops oozing.. cut a slight bit more out of the bottom.. Be careful to stay out of way of weakened tank bottom as the whole thing could cave. HOT WATER might help it liquify to make it somewhat easier. (if its really runny you can use shop vacs (big ones like they use for industrial cleanups). . Best of luck !

I agree with #38, triple battery life. steam and or hot water. I would start at or near the bottom by somehow injecting steam from a portable unit [rental] so as to contain as much heat and water as possible, and having a waste exit as close as possible to steam inlet site. when/ if possible force perforated pipes into soft area for drainage.

I have also seen a unique cutting blade for conveyor belt repair mechanics. might be useful, it had no teeth. good luck-Al