Frequently asked questions

1.)  Is there a reason why we must use your bitumen? – Can we use any bitumen? 

· You can use any anionic bitumen emulsion. The electrical charge in cationic bitumen emulsions are inclined to delay the polymerization process prolonging the curing time.  

· Using anionic emulsion, the initial time for the chemical reaction to take place is a few hours whilst using cationic emulsions it might take a few days.  

· Due to the delay in curing when using cationic emulsions it can be expected that the final strength of the treated soil would be about 70% of that when anionic emulsion is used.  

· We prefer to use the bitumen emulsion from our supplier due to the surfactants used in manufacturing the emulsion are less harmful to the environment than others.  

· As bitumen is actually a reclaimed product extracted from petrochemical waste there is always the risk that there are differences between batches supplied by unknown sources.  

· Soil conditions vary within a short distance and it is unwise to use unknown materials in an application where the cost of the bitumen has a small influence on the final cost of the installation.

2.)  Can I share the MSDS information with my colleagues in our environmental department?  

· Yes please do share the information as the MSDS is intended to allow people not familiar with the product to know how to react in the event of an emergency.

·  In the industry of chemical soil stabilizers there are quite a few unscrupulous suppliers with claims based on the performance of other materials. For this reason we prefer to limit the amount of information to others and require a confidentiality agreement of our Intellectual Property with our customers.

3.)  Once the mixture is complete, what is the thermal resistivity of the soil-Terraloc mixture once it is dry?

SANS 10198 gives testing that can be done, to determine this. Thermal resistivity of the soil-Terraloc mixture will has never resulted in the need to derate a cable in the last 3 years.  

· The thermal resistivity of the treated soil is the same as the original material or could be slightly more conductive due to a more consistent compaction found when Terraloc is used.  

· In laboratory tests no meaningful differences were found.  

· Terraloc has the ability to act as a compaction aid. This means that the risk of hot spots along the cable is reduced where compaction using only water could cause small cavities along the line.  

· It is safe to assume that the thermal conductivity will not be reduced and no derating is required.

4.)  Is the soil-Terraloc mixture electrically conductive? If so, what is Ohmmeter reading?

· The electrical conductivity of the treated soil is similar to that of the compacted treated soil given the local soil moisture conditions.  

· Due to the low dosage rates little or no difference in the electrical or thermal properties of the soil has been found.

5.)  Has the soil-Terraloc mixture got electrical insulating properties?

In which case what is the insulation mm/kV it can give?

· No high voltage tests with treated soil have been done and it is expected not to alter the electrical properties of the treated soil.  

· The only electrical properties of Terraloc were done to determine the resistivity of the cured chemicals without any soil added. The properties of oven baked samples compared to that of most plastics regarding dielectric strength or resistivity.  

· It is important to remember that at dosages below 5% the properties of the substrate would dominate.

6.)  Can this be used on steel, to prevent theft?

· Terraloc is not intended to be used on materials with a homogeneous surface.  

· The purpose of Terraloc is to enhance the latent binding properties of materials such as soil, coal or other organic materials and should not be seen as an adhesive.  

· It is especially effective where materials containing materials where isomorphic substitution of the compounds can be found.

7.)  Is this product similar to Polyurea products on the market?

· The product “Polyurea” is a surface spray provided by the company ABE and others.  

· It is a polyurethane based material that is intended to form a film and not an additive into soil to form a volumetric inert substance.  

· Terraloc is not intended to be used as film and act as bridge between particles. It is able to allow gas to pass through the substrate but is hydrophilic that forms a solid substance with extremely low permeability.