Canada's largest contaminated site clean-up is currently under way at the Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens in Nova Scotia. The Canadian Federal and Nova Scotia Provincial governments estimate the project will cost $400 million (CAD) for the clean-up that will include solidification/stabilization with cement treatment of nearly 600,000 cubic meters of contaminated sediment and soil.

The important first step of solidifying the cooling ponds with portland cement is in progress. The process will stabilize and solidify a nearly 25,000 cubic meters of sludge contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

The remediation involves mixing cement directly into contaminated media, such as soils, to immobilize pollutants. Waste remediation with cement is often conducted in place with minimal site disturbance and can actually make the site more viable for future developing, according to Portland Cement Association spokespeople.

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