Are naturally occurring sulfates (So3) a problem when stabilising soils with SMR?
A. Soils that contain naturally occurring sulfates will suffer a swelling reaction if lime is used as a stabiliser. The extent of this problem depends on the type of soil and the concentration of sulfates present, current guidelines set the limit at 1% maximum in these situations SMR is usually a far better solution. If you have reason to believe that unusual quantities of sulfates may be present we always recommend that tests for sulfates should carried out by a specialist test centre to determine if special measures are required before any site work is undertaken.
