Electrical Oil Services (EOS®) at IFAT: Adsorption in Excellence

IFAT is regarded as the world’s leading trade fair for environmental technologies. Every two years, it brings together companies, municipalities, and industry professionals from the fields of water, wastewater, waste management, and air pollution control. In May 2026, Electrical Oil Services will be exhibiting at IFAT – together with its partner and sister company CarboTech. In this interview, Managing Director Kilian Gerbl explains why IFAT is an important platform for EOS®, what connects the two ICIG companies, and why adsorption is a key technology – also in the context of transformer oils.

Mr. Gerbl, what makes IFAT so special from your perspective – and why is it relevant for Electrical Oil Services?

IFAT is far more than a conventional trade fair. It is an international meeting point for everyone involved in environmental technologies, resource conservation, and the treatment of contaminated media. This is exactly where we see the connection to EOS^®. Even though we are firmly rooted in transformer services and transformer oils, our work is always about the safe and responsible handling of hazardous substances. This topic is omnipresent at IFAT.

EOS^® is primarily known for services related to transformers and transformer oils. Why is IFAT the right platform for this?

Transformer oils do not exist in isolation. They are part of a broader, environmentally relevant overall context.

• On the one hand, they play a central role in the operational safety and service life of transformers – and thus in the stability of energy infrastructures.

• On the other hand, issues of sustainable use, treatment, and refurbishment of transformer oils are becoming increasingly important, particularly with regard to resource conservation and waste avoidance.

• This connection becomes especially clear when transformer oils are contaminated with problematic substances such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In such cases, it is not only about the safe operation of equipment, but also about environmental and health protection as well as the proper treatment and disposal of contaminated media.

IFAT provides the ideal framework to make these interrelationships visible and to demonstrate how technologies from different fields can interact. For us, the trade fair is therefore a platform for professional exchange, not just for product presentation.

Interview with EOS^® experts: Removal of PCBs in transformers

You are exhibiting at IFAT together with CarboTech. How did this partnership come about?

First and foremost, we are connected through our owner – the International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG). Beyond that, we share a common technological approach. CarboTech specialises in activated carbons and adsorption solutions used in water, wastewater, air, and gas purification. Electrical Oil Services contributes its many years of experience in recycling and handling transformer oils, PCB-contaminated oils, and transformer-related services.

From our initial discussions, it quickly became clear that our approaches are based on the same fundamental principle – adsorption. We have summarised this shared understanding under the guiding concept “Adsorption in Excellence.” The joint appearance at IFAT is therefore a logical consequence.

You refer to “Adsorption in Excellence.” What does adsorption mean in this context?

Adsorption describes a physicochemical process in which specific molecules are selectively bound to the surface of a material and removed from a medium. The key factor is selectivity: the aim is to remove problematic substances without impairing the function or quality of the medium.

CarboTech has been applying this principle for many years in water and air purification using specialised activated carbons. EOS^® transfers the same fundamental idea to the treatment of transformer oils, where the highest technical requirements must be met.

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Which application fields are CarboTech focusing on?

CarboTech develops and supplies activated carbons and adsorption solutions for various applications, particularly in wastewater and exhaust air treatment. Pollutants are removed from industrial wastewater, process air, or gas streams, thereby reducing environmental impacts.

These are classic IFAT topics and fields of application in which adsorption processes have been established for decades and are continuously being further developed.

How does Electrical Oil Services complement these approaches at the joint IFAT booth?

Our transformer-related services aim to extend the service life of equipment and minimise risks associated with contaminated insulating and transformer oils.

EOS^® applies the principle of adsorption specifically to transformer oils, which perform a central technical function in electrical equipment. As insulating and cooling media, they make a significant contribution to the operational safety, performance, and service life of transformers.

At the same time, transformer oils place special demands on any form of treatment: their electrical, thermal, and chemical properties must be preserved, as even minor changes can impair the function and safety of the equipment. In addition, transformer oils are used over long periods, and contamination—such as aging by-products or pollutants like PCBs – can affect not only operation but also environmental protection and maintenance.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are a shared topic for both companies. Why are adsorption processes particularly suitable for their removal?

PCBs are chemically very stable and difficult to break down. Adsorption processes make it possible to selectively bind these substances to the surface of suitable materials and remove them from the respective medium without using aggressive chemical processes. This applies both to water and to transformer oils.

This cross-media approach is precisely what makes adsorption such an exciting technology when it comes to rethinking established processes and transferring them to new fields of application – for example, from water to transformer oil.

You are currently conducting tests to remove PCBs from transformer oil. What role does collaboration with CarboTech play here?

We are currently in a phase of investigation and testing. Together with CarboTech, we are evaluating to what extent findings from water and air purification can be transferred to transformer oils. This is not about quick market solutions, but about developing a sound understanding of the processes involved.

As a company, we have always actively sought new solutions for complex challenges related to transformers and transformer oils. This pioneering spirit characterises our work: rethinking existing processes, testing new approaches, and critically examining technologies from other fields of application for their transferability.

This type of professional dialogue is exactly what IFAT is designed for. Different disciplines, applications, and perspectives come together here – from water and air to specialised applications such as transformer oils. The joint exhibition appearance makes it possible to further explore these topics through open exchange with industry professionals.

What can visitors expect at your stand?

Above all, professional exchange. Visitors can find us at IFAT 2026 from May 4 to 7 in Munich, booth A3.411. Together with CarboTech, we will demonstrate how adsorption processes can be applied in different media – from water and air to transformer oils. Anyone interested in sustainable solutions in transformer services and pollutant removal is warmly invited to join us for a discussion.

Thank you very much for the interview, Mr. Gerbl!

Learn more about Electrical Oil Services (EOS^®) in additional interviews:

• EOS^® Interview: 5 Tips for Sustainable Transformer Oil Management

• Transformer Expertise: Interview with a Transformer Professional

• EOS^® Database: Well-founded Decisions in Transformer Management

• EOS^® Transformer Database: Optimally Document Insulating Oil Samples