Florida’s Global Environmental & Industrial Response offers environmental, waste transportation and disposal, vacuum truck and hydroblasting services in the Gulf coast region. But the company’s niche of sulfuric acid tower maintenance and neutralization, and catalyst screening and handling is taking teams all over the world.
“There's a very small handful of companies in the world offering this service,” says Nick Soucy, director of business development with Global. “And it’s a service we intend to grow as part of our brand.”
The service is required by industrial manufacturers who use sulfuric acid in their production lines and chemical processors. But Global is seeing the greatest call for its services from the agriculture sector — for example in the processing of fertilizers. The company has worked as far away as Canada, Mexico and overseas destinations.
The intricate work is carried out alongside other contractors during plant maintenance and can involve more than two dozen individual services, which include removal, cleaning and installation of multiple components; pump tank cleaning; sulfur pit cleaning; and inspections.
The team also neutralizes acid using soda ash or other caustic materials. In addition, catalyst screening and handling includes unloading, screening, reconditioning and re-loading chemical catalysts to improve plant efficiency.
In addition, the contracts include waste handling and transportation of hazardous and non-hazardous liquids or solids, including used catalyst, sulfates and low-pH liquid.
“Some of this work represents a high hazard,” Soucy says. “Our employees need to wear fully encapsulated vapor and chemical protective suits with a self-contained breathing apparatus.”
The company ships its specialized equipment to the client’s destination from its Fort Lauderdale office, either overland for U.S. and Canadian markets or by shipping container and ocean freighter for Mexico and overseas destinations.
“We don't leave home without our Guzzler,” Soucy says. “All of the equipment is loaded into shipping containers and delivered straight to the project site in the destination country.”
The projects involve a wide range of work, including inspections, repairs and upgrades, and neutralizing can go on for several weeks, often part of long-term contracts. A recent trip to Mexico required the team to remain for almost a month.
“We’re currently bidding on overseas contracts that may involve Global making a multiyear, ongoing commitment,” Soucy says. “This would involve our company experts training a local workforce to carry out many of these tasks under our direction and supervision.”
To learn more about Global Environmental & Industrial Response, see the company profile in the September 2024 issue of Pumper.
