Bradley Airport Shows Off New Collection Trucks

Bradley International Airport officials and work crews lauded the addition of two new de-icing fluid recovery trucks Friday.

The Elgin Airport Glycol Recovery Vehicles cost $762,000 and were paid for through Bradley’s capital improvement program with federal passenger facility charges.

“This is an additional example of the Connecticut Department of Transportation and Bradley’s continuing efforts to maintain its national reputation as a leader in the latest technology for all aspects of airport operations,”  Acting State Transportation Commissioner James P. Redeker said in a statement.

Daniel Reynolds, environmental manager for Bradley, said the trucks collect the fluid that falls off of planes when they are being de-iced. The new trucks replace trucks that were purchased in 1997, he said.

Reynolds said the vehicles are modified vacuum trucks that suck up the fluids into internal tanks and then are transferred to underground tanks. The fluid is later recycled by another vendor, he said.

The trucks allow the airport to keep the fluid from running off into groundwater and impacting the environment, Reynolds said. They have been using the trucks since December, he said.

Jason Pryzbek, a maintainer at Bradley, said he enjoys operating the trucks and they operate more efficiently and faster than the older ones.

“If you saw when the ground is wet, you can see where the truck has been and the rest of the area is wet,” Pryzbek said.

The trucks are engineered for quick and efficient glycol clean-up at airport gates and/or designated de-icing sites, officials said. They are equipped with a pavement-rinsing system that facilitates de-icing fluid collection  from pavement surfaces.
They also have an 1,800 gallon fluid collection capacity and an 8 foot wide pickup head.