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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 hired Thomas Industrial Coatings to coat the weir troughs before additional loss occurred and more costly repairs were required. The contractor turned to Induron Protective Coatings for coatings expertise and product specifications for the project.

Pre-primer applied

The coatings solution

To specify a solution, Induron 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, the manufacturer recommended Mortarchem Ceramic Modified Cementitious Epoxy Mortar and Ceramasafe 90 Ceramic Epoxy.

A high-performance epoxy modified cementitious surface and repair mortar, Mortarchem was selected to restore the concrete surface prior to applying the lining material. Because existing cementitious epoxy mortars are often fraught with problems and application challenges, Induron manufactured Mortarchem to simplify the application process and deliver better performance and improved production. When applied, Mortarchem fills bug holes, seals pores and mitigates outgassing. Its proprietary technology, including a unique ceramic modification package, makes the product simple to use in the field. 

While Induron’s 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 and was deemed the best solution for the demands of this project. The impermeability of the cyclo-aliphatic resin’s ceramic pigment, combined with its performance and high-build characteristics, were the right choice for a wastewater environment.

Finish coat applied

the benefit of teamwork

The most critical part of this project was ensuring that the application of Mortarchem came off exactly right so that the lining had a satisfactory surface to be applied over. While the Thomas crew had not done much work with Mortarchem prior to this project, solid teamwork from Thomas Project Foreman Jeff Reed and Induron Technical Services Director William Seawell made the application a complete success. The two of them demonstrated what a cohesive partnership between a coatings contractor and hands-on supplier can accomplish.

the outcome

All parties involved in the project said they were extremely pleased with the refurbished concrete clarifiers. The Project Manager for Thomas Industrial Coatings, John Lyons, praised the products and Seawell’s efforts on more than one occasion for making it such a smooth-running venture. 

Watch a video about the project: