News
Basic Concrete Technology
ACI NETX will begin the 2010 Basic Concrete Technology Course on September 28, 2010. The schedule and details are HERE.
US EPA Fly Ash
UPDATE July 1, 2010: The US EPA has issues a proposed rule, followed by a revised propose rule, which will regulate coal combustion products destined for landfills. The EPA states the following regarding beneficial use CCP:
"EPA is not proposing to change the May 2000 Regulatory Determination for beneficially used CCRs, which are currently exempt from the hazardous waste regulations under Section 3001(b)(3)(A) of RCRA. However, EPA is clarifying this determination and seeking comment on potential refinements for certain beneficial uses. EPA is also not proposing to address the placement of CCRs in mines, or non-minefill uses of CCRs at coal mine sites in this action."
UPDATE: On May 4, 2010, the US EPA suspended active participation in the Coal Combustion Products Partnership, and announced a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) concerning fly ash. The proposal includes two potential methods of regulating fly ash; neither method would classify coal combustion products as hazardous waste, but they would require special handling in conformance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The goal of regulating these materials is to improve the impoundment, storage, and handling of fly ash and related materials using federal rules. The current rules allow states to regulate these materials.
These materials are used extensively in modern concrete. Fly ash can be used to replace 20 to 90 percent of portland cement in typical concrete, and doing so imparts several useful properties to the concrete. Production of portland cement produces significant carbon dioxide as part of the chemical reaction in a cement kiln, while fly ash and slag do not require significant additional combustion or energy input. Part of improving sustainability is the increasing use of supplemental cementitious materials (SCM), of which fly ash is the primary material. Fly ash is also used to produce high performance concrete, which is one of the advances which has made concrete the best choice for rapid-cycle projects.
When mixed into concrete, fly ash is no more hazardous than the portland cement or silicious aggregates in the mixture. The hazards which are being made sensational in the media are related to the very large volumes of fly ash in power plant impoundments; the December 2009 mishap in Tennessee resulted in the release of 5.4 million cubic yards of fly ash and water from a surface impoundment (about 3,400 acre-feet, or 5 square miles 1 foot deep.)
ACI members have significant stake in the ongoing use of coal combustion products in concrete. We are encouraging members to get involved by making comments to the NPRM.
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There has been talk lately about the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considering reclassification of coal combustion products, like fly ash, to that of a hazardous waste. This primarily arose after a couple of high-profile events where wet ash impoundments deteriorated and failed. The EPA in currently investigating ash pond levees and surveying their owners/operators.
The EPA's commitment to reducing the placement of coal combustion products into landfills is best demonstrated by one statement from their website: "EPA strongly supports the beneficial use of CCPs in appropriate circumstances and established a goal in its Strategic Plan to achieve a recycling rate of 50 percent of all CCPs by 2011."
Below are a few links which provide more information about US EPA fly ash programs and initiatives:
US EPA Coal Combustion Products Partnership - currently suspended by US EPA
Coal Combustion Products Benefits and Risks
Turner-Fairbanks Highway Research Center Fly Ash Information
OSHA Update
Currently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, has two main enforcement programs that affect the concrete industry. They are referred to as Regional Emphasis Programs, or REP's:
1) SIC Code 34 (fabricated metal products) - a complete list of SIC 34 businesses in each region is provided to the regional OSHA office by OSHA national. This list is assigned a random order, and the facilities are inspected in that random order. These inspections include any hazard to employees, which is primarily hazardous chemicals, machine guarding, lock-out/tag-out, cranes, and other material handling. SIC 34 includes fabricated structural steel (beams, columns, pipes), bar joists, concrete reinforcing bars, and fabricated wire products. If your company files any labor, employment, or tax reports using an SIC 34 (including sub-codes 34x and 34xx), you are on this list.
2) Construction - any work or workplace condition which is visible from a road or other public place and is unsafe can trigger a full worksite inspection. The "big four" are falls, struck-by, caught-in, and electrical hazards. Once they are on site for these hazards, anything they see will be addressed (and possibly cited.)
Isam (Sam) Munir: 50 Years of ACI Membership
ACI has recognized NETX member Sam Munir for his 50 years of ACI membership.
Victor Villarreal: ACI Construction Award
Continuing the list of NETX members recognized at the 2010 Spring ACI Convention, Victor Villarreal was recognized with the ACI Construction Award for "his paper describing the benefit of replacing a portion of normalweight aggregates to mitigate plastic and drying shrinkage cracking."
ACI NETX: Excellent Chapter for 2009
As part of the opening ceremonies at the 2010 ACI spring convention, the Northeast Texas Chapter was recognized as an "Excellent Chapter for 2009."
Vartan Babakhanian: ACI Certification Award
NETX member Vartan Babakhanian was awarded the ACI Certification Award, as part of the 2010 spring convention of the American Concrete Institute in Chicago, IL. In making the award, ACI cited "outstanding and tireless service on ACI Certification Committees and in promoting and administering ACI Certification programs."
New Website
Along with a new webmaster and publications editor (John Turner), aci-netx.com has a new look.
The website was created using Sandvox website software for Mac from Karelia software. The base design is Blueball Qubix.
Matrix is currently published using Apple Pages for Mac.
And lastly, many thanks to Jay Shilstone for providing hosting for the website for these past many years. The website is now hosted by Network Solutions.