Soil Cement Cap

Soil Cement Cap

PROJECT:
SOIL CEMENT CAP
MATERIALS RECYCLING AND HANDLING FACILITY

CLIENT: KAISER VENTURES, INC.

LOCATION: FONTANA, CA

DESCRIPTION:
In continuing Brownfield’s redevelopment efforts at the former Kaiser Steel Mill site in Fontana, CA, Soli-Bond, Inc. was invited to develop an alternative procedure to remediate 32,000 tons of soil with soluble metal levels which exceeded California threshold limits.

After extensive treatability studies and in depth meetings with the California Department of Toxic Substance Control, Soli-Bond’s soil cement capping concept was approved. The Soil Cement CAP procedure was as follows:

  • Calculate the maximum amount of contaminated material that could be entombed in a 2 acre basin (results 22,000 tons).
  • Calculate the minimum amount of contaminated material necessary to create a 1 foot thick impermeable cement CAP over a 2 Acre basin (results 10,000 tons).
  • Place and compact the 22,000 tons in the 2 acre depression.
  • Develop a mix design and blend the waste and cement together to achieve the following:
    • Stabilization of the soluble metals present in the soil
    • Achieve a minimum of 800 psi to 1000 psi unconfirmed compressive strengths
    • Achieve a minimum of 2.0 X 10-6 to 2.0 X 10-8 cm/sec permeability
    • Place, compact, and cure the 10,000 ton soil cement admix
    • Test and verify the stabilization of the soluble metals
    • Test and verify the desired unconfined compressive strengths
    • Test and verify the desired permabilities

All 22,000 tons of soluble metal impacted soil was buried and capped with 10,000 tons of soil cement to the required specifications over a total of 15 days.