Issue at a Glance
Microtunneling generates liquid slurry with higher moisture content than regular tunneling.
A mixture of clay and soil conditioners is utilized at the face of the microtunnel boring machine to lubricate, stabilize and extract cuttings. The resultant slurry creates a problem for disposal.
Traditional methods are inefficient, slow and expensive.
The process for liquid slurry disposal often looks like this:
- Specialized vacuum trucks transport the slurry to a transfer station
- Bulking agents such as sawdust are used (usually bulking the slurry up by 50-200%)
- Dump trucks transport the increased waste load to a final disposal site
This means more trucks needed, more time wasted and higher disposal costs incurred.
Overview of MetaFLO's product
MF003 is a non-toxic inert solidification reagent that rapidly absorbs water and helps waste pass the Paint Filter Test (PFT). It is applied to variable liquid waste streams such as tunnel spoils, hydro excavation slurry, and wastewater lagoons.
With MetaFLO, liquid waste disposal is optimized:
- MetaFLO’s technology solidifies the waste on-site
- The solidified waste is transferred to dump trucks to be transported directly to the final disposal site.
The benefits are clear with the MetaFLO patented process:
- Cost savings
- Fewer trucks needed
- No expensive liquid transport
- Reduction in GHG emissions
- Control of waste
- Compliance for client
- Soil reused as clean, regenerative fill material
- Less paperwork involved
MetaFLO Technologies can work with operations personnel to help put together a tailored and effective plan to address the challenges of variable liquid waste streams.