Sometimes, complex chemical reactions don’t go quite as planned. In the case you’ll hear about today, a reaction that took place inside an 8,000-gallon tank — one about the size of a gasoline tanker you’d see driving — got especially sticky.

Tom Held is a Project Manager here at ERC Midwest, and he’s solved quite a few complex waste solutions in his day. In this particular situation, he saved our client massive amounts of time and money by thinking outside the box. 

Normally, Tom describes the process for something like this as creating a “violent environment” for the workers that have to clear out the reactor. There’s one way in and one way out, and the guys are placed carefully inside with a breathing lifeline and a shotgun, a cleaning tool with about the same kickback as a Winchester 1897. 

What was Tom’s elegant solution that saved time, money, and safety risk? Tune in and find out!