Independence Excavating (IX) recently completed the stabilization of on-site soils and remediation of approximately 12,500 tons of soil at the former Broadway Commons property in Cincinnati, OH. Soil stabilization parallels the mechanical processes utilized for soil solidification. The differences inherently are the end product; soil solidification is a process to ultimately provide a dryer material that meets certain geotechnical criteria; soil stabilization renders a material that would otherwise require management as hazardous for metal(s) as non-hazardous. IX saved the customer nearly a million dollars by rendering and stabilizing site soils and thereby allowing the soil to be disposed of as non-hazardous.
Soil stabilization is accomplished by introducing chemicals, also known as stabilizing reagents, into the soil via an excavator or through a spreader. IX heavily relied on the fast application processes of their specialized equipment, including a computerized truck-mounted spreader and a Wirtgen 2500 recycler operated through their affiliated company Flex-Tech Resources. For this project IX elected to team with Premier Magnesia, LLC, the sole manufacturer of EnviroBlend® heavy metal treatment products. EnviroBlend products are blended and manufactured to address waste-specific chemistry needs.
The main contaminants of concern at the former Broadway Commons site were lead and arsenic along with elevated soil pH. The EnviroBlend product Independence utilized effectively stabilized the lead (made it non-hazardous) without adversely affecting the arsenic and at the same time controlled the soil pH. Controlling the pH is essential in metal treatment, specifically with lead, as lead leaches at both high and low pH values. IX saved the customer nearly $1 million by stabilizing site soils and thereby allowing the soil to be disposed of as non-hazardous.
