When the fire brigade closes the road and arrives with buckets and brooms, it is usually to remove long traces of oil – a time-consuming and labour-intensive procedure so that a road can be driven on safely again. The OilXtract oil spill remover, developed by a team from the Higher Technical College (HTL) in Vienna, promises a simple and cost-effective solution in such cases.

OilXtract essentially consists of a storage container for the binding agent, a brush and a collection container. As the device drives over the lane, the oil-binding agent is distributed on the road and worked in with a brush. When driving over the lane again, the binding agent/oil mixture is thrown into the collection container with the brush and stored there until it is emptied. The entire process can be conveniently controlled via touchscreen; all important process values can also be read off here, such as the fill level of the containers, the travelling speed, the brush speed and the current work stage. An inductive proximity switch from norelem is installed to record the values.

Further norelem components were also used in the construction of the device. Helical compression springs maintain the distance between the chassis and the brush mechanism and compensate for unevenness in the road. Countersunk screws, hexagon nuts with clamping element and steel washers hold the assembly together. The pin with split pin hole enables quick and easy installation of the lever with which the collection container is operated. The spring pin secures the bolt and prevents it falling out. Circlip and split spring pins ensure that the components are positioned correctly and prevent them from slipping. An emergency stop button serves as a safety device. This allows all systems to be stopped immediately.