New Australia-Based Joint Venture Company to Offer Materials for Remediation of Contaminants, such as PFAS, in Groundwater and Sediment, as well as Sealing Applications
US-based AquaBlok, Ltd. and North Wollongong, Australia-based Affective Group have combined resources to form the materials manufacturing entity.
AquaBlok, Ltd., is proud to announce a new partnership with Affective Group, an Australia-based civil engineering company. The two firms have combined their resources to form a new entity, AquaBlok Pacific.
AquaBlok Pacific will manufacture and market AquaBlok® and AquaGate® materials in Australia and the South Pacific region. Products include, but are not limited to:
AquaBlok: A bentonite-based, low-permeable sealing material used for a variety of geotechnical applications, including anti-seep collars, cut-off walls, pond construction and repair, and liners for mine tailings.
AquaGate+PAC: A composite particle consisting of aggregate, polymer, and powdered activated carbon (PAC) to adsorb PCBs.
AquaGate+Organoclay: A composite particle consisting of aggregate, polymer, and an organically modified clay to adsorb petroleum-based hydrocarbons.
Remediation of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) will also be addressed through a new product called AquaGate+RemBind, a composite particle consisting of an aggregate core coated with RemBind®, a proprietary mix of activated carbon, aluminum hydroxide, and other minerals. AquaGate+RemBind is used to immobilize PFAS in groundwater and sediment. RemBind is a product of Ziltek, a South Australia-based firm offering a range of innovative products to the environmental remediation market. The issue of PFAS remediation has attracted significant attention in Australia due to the contaminant’s highly persistent nature and toxicity to fish and some animals. AquaBlok Pacific will work with Ziltek to advance solutions that can be implemented immediately to address the spread of this contaminant.
“For nearly two decades, AquaBlok has provided successful sediment remediation and geotechnical sealing solutions to industry in the U.S.,” says AquaBlok COO John Collins. “So, we are happy to have found a strong, but family-oriented, manufacturing partner in Australia that we genuinely believe has the capability to deliver a high-quality product to address the very important contamination-related issues facing many sites in the region.”
Affective Group’s Anthony Stewart stated, “Contaminated materials handling, disposal, site decontamination and remediation make up a large part of our core business. Partnering with US-based AquaBlok to form AquaBlokPacific is a perfect fit with our organization's strategic plan to deliver new technologies and products for contaminated issues throughout Australia and the South Pacific."
About AquaBlok, Ltd.
AquaBlok, Ltd. provides a multitude of powder-coated treatment and sealing materials for a variety of geotechnical and sediment remediation applications. AquaBlok®, a product line consisting of bentonite-based, low-permeability materials intended to provide isolation of contamination from surface water. AquaGate®, a collection of permeable treatment and adsorptive materials, including Organoclay and powdered activated carbon (PAC), are used to bind and immobilize contamination from pore water and reduce the potential of contaminant breakthrough. Advantages of both product families include, but are not limited to, uniform delivery of high-value amendments, a higher rate of adsorption than granular material, and high specific gravity, which allows for placement of material directly through a water column.
About Affective Group
The Affective Group is a family-based civil engineering business that was formed in 1984. Based in North Wollongong NSW, the organization has expanded over the past three decades and now employs over 150 staff throughout the State. The company is experienced in all aspects of civil works, demolition, asbestos removal, site decontamination and site remediation, bulk haulage, rail maintenance and dust control.