Landfill Waste Cover

Posi-Shell^® Cover System

Posi-Shell^® is a spray-applied mineral mortar coating, similar to stucco, used for landfill daily cover, intermediate cover, erosion prevention, and odor control. By replacing expensive and sometimes scarce soil, Posi-Shell preserves a valuable natural resource and conserves air space, thus greatly extending the life of a landfill. Our product meets and exceeds regulatory requirements for the control of landfill vectors, fires, odors, blowing litter, and scavenging. Posi-Shell also has numerous non-landfill erosion control applications such as highway slope stabilization, dust control at chemical facilities and other industrial sites, construction site erosion control and more.

Posi-Shell Cover is non-flammable and durable. Simple to mix and easy to use, the Posi-Shell Cover System consists of a liquid base (water or leachate), Posi-Pak^® P-100 Fibers, and PSM-200™ Setting Agent. Depending on desired durability and color, Portland cement and various dyes may also be used in the mixture. Because it forms a durable, non-flammable crust that resists wind and water erosion, Posi-Shell is also ideal for applications such as ditch-lining, dust control, cover for contaminated soil, compost, coal, or cement clinker piles, mining applications, voc suppression, sludge tar lagoons, and similar industrial purposes.

Posi-Shell materials come in easy-to-handle bags. Portland cement may be handled in bags or via a bulk storage and transfer silo.

Posi-Shell® Cover System Application Minimum Requirements Guideline

?* Depending on conditions and desired quality, up to 40 ft.²/gal. (0.75m²/L.) can be achieved.

Posi-Shell®: Frequently Asked Questions

Q) What is Posi-Shell?

Posi-Shell is a spray-applied mineral mortar coating, similar to stucco, used as waste cover, erosion control and hydroseeding.

Q) What equipment is needed to apply Posi-Shell?

An application unit, and towing unit are required for applying Posi-Shell.

Q) Why should I use your equipment?

Our application equipment was designed specifically for landfill use, with rugged features and built in clean out resevoirs and water pumping units dedicated to the clean water. You will find this applicator most user friendly.

Q) Do I have to use your equipment to apply Posi-Shell?

No, Posi-Shell may be applied through most common hydroseeding units.

Q) What is the composition of Posi-Shell?

Posi-Shell is made up of water, mineral setting agent and high-tech fibers.

Q) Are other formulations of Posi-Shell available?

Yes, LSC has the capabilities to provide a variety of special coatings for special needs.

Q) What do the fibers do in the Posi-Shell mixture?

They reduce cracking and increase durability.

Q) Why should I use Posi-Shell?

Posi-Shell is a multi-purpose product which saves airspace, provides a durable cover and is easy to apply.

Q) Can I apply Posi-Shell in the rain?

Our Advanced Formulation products can be successfully applied in rains up to about one-half inch per hour. For heavier rains our Extreme Rain Shield product should be added.

Q) How much does Posi-Shell cost?

The typical daily cover cost, including equipment and materials, is usually 1-5 cents per square foot.

Q) How is Posi-Shell different than other spray applied products?

Posi-Shell uses mineral mortar where others use paper and water.

Q) Can Posi-Shell be used for long-term cover?

Yes. In addition to daily and intermediate cover, Posi-Shell is used for long-term cover and erosion control. With the addition of Portland cement, durability of up to several years is possible.

Q) Will Posi-Shell Damage my Leachate Collection Systemr?

NO – Posi-Shell has been used at conventional and bioreactor landfills for 20 years with no documentation of damage to leachate collection systems. The cement ingredients(when used) in Posi-Shell harden on the surface of the waste at the time of application. This one-time hydraulic cement reaction occurs only when the cover is first applied. If the hardened material later breaks up and is transported by liquids to the leachate system, it behaves the same as any other dirt, dust or other solid particles in the leachate. Soil covers contribute far more available solids than thin Posi-Shell coatings, and C&D landfills with a large amount of old cement materials do not report any greater incidence of leachate line clogging than MSW landfills.

It is true that leachate collection piping often exhibits a scaly hard build-up known in the landfill industry as “Bio-Rock,” however, this occurs in landfills not using Posi-Shell as frequently as in those which do. Bio-Rock is generally formed by complex biochemical oxidation-reduction reactions with leachate solids slowly flowing through the intermittent semi-aerobic conditions in the leachate collection pipes. This explains pipe camera observations that there are no “stalagtites” forming downward from the perforation holes; instead the Bio-Rock builds in thin, hard layers from the bottom up, beginning at the leachate flow-line in the pipe. North America’s leading leachate maintenance contractor reports that the occurence of Bio-Rock is independent of the use, or non-use of Posi-Shell.

You can use Posi-Shell with complete confidence, based upon decades of experience, that no damage will be done to your leachate collection system. The important key to a well functioning leachate collection system is regular, normal cleaning of collection lines to remove “Bio-Rock” before it clogs the line; this maintenance is equally important for landfills using Posi-Shell or for landfills using any other type of cover.

Q) Is Posi-Shell biodegradable?

No, the minerals in Posi-Shell do not further biodegrade.

Testimonials

Brian Van Straten
Public Works Manager
Santa Cruz County, California

If you’re looking to extend the life of your landfill, Posi-Shell is the best answer, bar none! The unmatched service provided by LSC, coupled with the easy use of the applicator, minimal time involved in daily maintenance, and ease of cleaning the unit, will have your entire landfill team motivated in no time.

This is a total daily cover system, which from start to finish will only take about an hour to apply. The other uses within the landfill are endless including storm water management and erosion control applications. Landfill operators will achieve huge air-space savings year-in and year-out, with the use of this system.
Duwaine Brigman
Division of Environmental Control
Sarpy County, Nebraska

Posi-Shell has met and exceeded all expectations we had for a daily cover. Additionally, we are disposing of waste latex paint and leachate daily with Posi-Shell while extending the life of our landfill. Posi-Shell has made my job easier and the landfill more profitable.

I would also like to note that LSC offers superb customer service.
Jerry Johnson
Vice President, Landfill Division
Waste Industries USA

I cannot tell you how important Posi-Shell is to our company and operation in Sampson County.

Posi-Shell saves us a great deal of money in the short term and over the life of the site. This is an important factor in today’s economic picture.
Edward G. Gibson, P.E.
Solid Waste Engineer
Winston-Salem-Forsyth County
City-County Utilities

Posi-Shell has greatly reduced the amount of cover previously used, helps our operation be more efficient, saves precious airspace, and wear and tear on equipment. By approval from our local state agency, not only do we use Posi-Shell as daily cover, we use it as a longer-term method of covering waste.
Gayle Wilson
Director, Orange County Solid Waste Mgmt.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Orange County landfill first began using Posi -Shell in late 1996, following extensive investigation of a variety of alternative daily cover products available at that time.

Posi-Shell performed significantly better than any of the other products and has been saving Orange County approximately $2,500 daily in air space in the years we’ve used it.
Pete Reed
Director, Bi-County Solid Waste
Tennessee

Thanks for a product and service that has exceeded our expectation. From daily cover to intermediate cover, from fire prevention to fire suppression, you have a product that works!
Hank Van Laarhoven
Director of Operations
Greater New Bedford RRMD
New Bedford, Massachusetts

This product works well, is easy to use, and is a major part of our daily operations.

I would not operate a landfill without it.
Raymond J. Hoffman, P.E.
North Carolina Area Engineer
Republic Services

Our use of LSC’s Solar Flare system has been a quick, effective fix to site odor issues caused by landfill gas. We have been installing these flares on our leachate collection risers with very little effort or expense. The service level has exceeded expectations, with quick order placement and delivery, and follow-up to see how the flares are performing.
Joe E. Miller
Landfill Manager
Weatherford, TX

LSC has been a great asset to the Weatherford Landfill. Their customer service is unprecedented and at all times dependable. Their personnel are among the friendliest and most reliable from any service corporation that I have worked with in my 18 years as a waste industry professional.
Jay W. Howe
City of Safford
Safford, Arizona

The City of Safford’s landfill needed a cost effective alternative for daily cover to reduce equipment cost, wear and tear, and to stop wasting airspace with dirt. LSC understood my dilemma and worked with me to develop a program that met all of my needs. This product is perfect for my operation and satisfies the regulations for vectors and wind holding capacity.

We now use the Posi-Shell cover system daily. We apply this product with our own hydroseeding unit and are saving thousands of taxpayer dollars.

We are the first in Arizona and hope to open doors to all of Arizona’s landfills to take advantage of this remarkable money and air space saving product. Thank you LSC for working hard to meet my financial limitations and developing a solution that is a win/win for everyone. It is refreshing in this day and age to see customer service alive and well!!!!!