Holcim (US) Inc./ Geocycle LLC

Background/ History

The Holcim (US) Inc./Geocycle LLC site is located at 14744 Highway 79 North, two miles north of Clarksville. Holcim operated a wet process cement kiln, which produced clinker, the main ingredient in Portland cement. Holcim used mainly coke and coal to heat the kiln system. In 1986, Holcim began using a variety of liquid and solid hazardous waste-derived fuels, such as spent industrial chemical and petroleum-related materials, to supplement its fuel needs. The hazardous waste came from off-site hazardous waste generators or third party hazardous waste blenders or brokers. Geocycle operated the hazardous waste treatment and storage facility. Geocycle received the hazardous waste by both truck and railcar, “blended” the waste with other hazardous waste to meet fuel specifications, and stored the resulting wastes in tanks until they are used as liquid fuel. 

Holcim/Geocycle operated under two hazardous waste permits, one issued by the department and one issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The department issued the Missouri Hazardous Waste Management Facility Part I Permit, effective May 2, 2000. EPA issued the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments Part II Permit, effective June 16, 2000. The permits allowed Holcim/Geocycle to operate two hazardous waste container storage areas (the tank truck storage facility and the railcar storage facility), eight hazardous waste storage/treatment tanks, seven hazardous waste miscellaneous treatment processes and the kiln while burning blended hazardous wastes as alternate fuel

Cleanup Summary

Closure activities since issuance of the permits have resulted in closure of all hazardous waste management units at the site. Holcim/Geocycle closed the hazardous waste management facility in 2009, which included the hazardous waste fuel facility, cement kiln and hazardous waste fuel feed system piping. The department accepted Holcim/Geocycle’s closure report and certification in October 2009. Closure activities for the remaining hazardous waste management units began in July 2012. The department accepted Holcim/Geocycle’s closure report and certification on July 5, 2013. Residual contamination left at some of the closed units was at levels requiring a deed notification but without restricting future use of the site. No post-closure activities are required.

The permits issued to Holcim/Geocycle also require them to investigate and clean up releases of hazardous waste and hazardous constituents to the environment at their facility resulting from present and past hazardous waste handling practices. Initial investigations identified a limited number of locations on site that involved potential releases of heavy metals, volatile organic compounds and semi-volatile organic compounds to soil, sediment, surface water and groundwater. Subsequent investigations and evaluations indicated that impacts to groundwater were highly unlikely. Residual contamination left after remediation efforts in two areas in 2012 and 2013, consists of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and resulted in a determination to restrict future use of this area to industrial use only. Future corrective action activities include additional investigation efforts at the remaining areas of contamination. What, if any, cleanup activities necessary will be based on the investigation results.