By: Paul Powers, Mid-Central Regional Manager at Induron Protective Coatings
When three large concrete clarifiers at Adams Field Water Reclamation Facility in Little Rock, Arkansas began showing signs of erosion, owner/engineer Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority contracted Thomas Industrial Coatings to coat the weir troughs before additional loss occurred and more costly repairs were required. Thomas Industrial Coatings turned to Induron Protective Coatings for coatings expertise and product specifications for the project.
The coatings solution
To specify a coatings solution, we considered the owner’s expectation for the finished product, the condition of the existing concrete, and the typical environment created by immersion service in wastewater solutions. With these factors in mind, we recommended Mortarchem Ceramic Modified Cementitious Epoxy Mortar and Ceramasafe 90 Ceramic Epoxy.
As a high-performance epoxy modified cementitious surface and repair mortar, Mortarchem was selected for restoring the concrete surface prior to applying the lining material. Because existing cementitious epoxy mortars are often fraught with problems and application challenges, we manufactured Mortarchem to simplify the application process while delivering better performance and improved production. When applied, Mortarchem fills bug holes, seals pores and mitigates outgassing. Plus, proprietary technology, including a unique ceramic modification package, makes Mortarchem simple to use in the field.
We selected Ceramasafe 90 Ceramic Epoxy as the lining for the concrete clarifiers because it is the best solution for the demands of the project. While our Protecto 401 Ceramic Epoxy has been the industry standard for handling untreated wastewater influent for decades, Ceramasafe 90 brings this same 35-year track record of ceramic epoxy performance to other treatment plant assets.The impermeability of the ceramic pigment combined with the cyclo-aliphatic resin’s performance and high-build characteristics of Ceramasafe 90 Ceramic Epoxy create an almost-perfect coating combination for a wastewater environment.
Applying the coatings
The most critical part of this project was ensuring that the application of Mortarchem came off exactly like we needed it to so that the lining had a satisfactory surface to be applied over. While the Thomas Industrial Coatings crew had not done much work with Mortarchem prior to this project, solid teamwork from Thomas Industrial Coatings project foreman, Jeff Reed, and a hands-on approach by Induron Technical Services Director, William Seawell, made the application a complete success. The two of them truly demonstrated what a cohesive partnership between a coatings contractor and supplier can accomplish.
The outcome
All parties involved in the project were extremely pleased with the refurbished concrete clarifiers. The project manager for Thomas Industrial Coatings, John Lyons, praised the products and William Seawell’s efforts on more than one occasion for making it such a smooth-running venture. This project also received an Honorable Mention in JPCL’s 2022 Prestige Awards.
