RSC Technology

Resonant Shock Compaction (RSC) is used to compact coal ash into ton-sized blocks as strong and durable as concrete. These blocks may contain 50% to 80% coal ash with as little as 5% cement binder. Hundreds of samples of coal ash, from the US, Japan, India, China, Korea and other countries have been compacted into small 10 pound test blocks. These test blocks have easily passed ASTM test standards for concrete compressive strength and durability.

RSC can also be used to compact contaminated soil and debris into ton-sized test blocks that may be safely stored, transported and disposed. Sample specimens containing toxic metals have passed US EPA leaching tests. Alternatively , the block may be heated to sinter or vitrify them thus assuring even greater environmental stability.

During the past 6 years the patented RSC technology has been licensed in the US, Japan and India to compact coal ash into construction blocks. The technology has been licensed for 12 years to compact alumina and other materials into large refractories for the steel industry.

RSC technology can compact other materials (such as waste from rock quarries, recycled crushed concrete and asphalt, and soil) into construction blocks and panels. RSC blocks are designed to meet the strength, durability and economic goals of the client market.

A major objective has been to convert some of the hundreds of millions of tons of waste coal ash into construction materials. In the US there are about 100 million tons of coal ash generated each year and only about 20% of the ash is used; the remaining 80% is disposed in landfills at a cost of about one billion dollars. India and China each generate similar quantities of ash that also goes to landfills.

Potential products include construction blocks and panels to construct walls, earth retaining walls, ocean shore protection barriers and artificial reefs. Blocks may crushed to manufacture light weight aggregate.

Test blocks have continually met design specification for strength and durability. All block performance tests were performed by certified testing laboratories using concrete and masonry standards developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or American Concrete Institute (ACI). Tests show that RSC compacted blocks are as strong and durable as concrete blocks.

RSC provides 100 tons per day compaction and stabilization of hazardous and radioactive contaminated soil; this is a non-thermal process. It typically achieves about 50% volume reduction, even when compacting mixes of crushed concrete, crushed asphalt and soil. RSC compacted waste is strong, durable and low-leaching. Treatment may be performed at the contaminated site or at the disposal site. This is simple, robust and low cost soil remediation alternative.

Municipal waste incinerator ash can also be compacted and stabilized for safe disposal.

Public Service Company of Colorado, other electric utilities, and construction companies research, development and demonstration of RSC compaction of coal ash building materials.

The U.S. Department of Energy at the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Site, Argonne National Laboratories and the Mixed Waste Focus Area supported research, development and demonstration of the technology to compact and stabilize contaminated soil and debris.

The University of Denver, Environmental Materials Laboratory has been our research and development partner since 1996. A full scale RSC machine, capable of making small 10 pound test specimens up to 600 pound blocks.

RSC is a vigorous vibratory-shock compaction technology. Granular material is mixed with a binder such as cement or lime and placed in a mold. The mold is placed on the RSC table then subjected to vibratory impact for about a few seconds to a couple of minutes, depending upon the size the the block. The compacted block is ejected from the mold and place in storage.

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