NOTICE: It has come to our attention that certain unethical individuals and companies have been illegally promoting themselves as having genuine K31 products in several countries.     Do not fall for these scams and do not accept fakes.    To be 100% certain that you are indeed investing in K31 products contact us via email at info@k31.org or by WhatsApp to +1 (949) 438-3969 to confirm your source. For your success!

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

General Company Questions

There are 18 totes of K31-APS and/or K31-CAP in each 20-foot container. It would be the same 18 totes in a 40-foot container due to weight limitations. The 40ft is much easier to load and offload.

We do not send samples to anyone. The smallest amount we can sell is a 1000 liter (275 gallons) tote. The factory runs 24 hours per day and all that product is already pre-sold to over 46 countries worldwide. We can’t take small samples from other customers’ totes as you can imagine.

The first couple of times you place an order we understand that you need to build a demo road for your potential clients, therefore we will collaborate with you by selling you one or two totes of K31-APS and/or K31-CAP of 1,000 liters each. After that, it has to be by the container full.

As the manufacturer of the K31-APS military-grade soil stabilizer and of K31-CAP liquid asphalt, we offer factory-direct prices. K31-APS and K31-CAP priced per 1,000-liter tote. Also, it depends on the size of your project and how many containers you order.

Visit our Calculators page for APS road construction, APS dust and erosion control, and CAP cold mix asphalt. Enter the dimensions of your project for an accurate estimate of soil stabilization, dust control, erosion control, and cold-mix asphalt.

Determine the maximum load that the road will be subjected to as this will indicate the recommended layer depth for the stabilized base. 20-30 tonnes 150mm deep – 40-80 tonnes 200mm deep for APS. For K31-CAP cold asphalt, most roads and resurfacing jobs will suffice with a 10mm or 20mm thickness.

Basic soil stabilized road design requirement: 35% fines passing through a 200 sieve and 65% granular material where no stone is larger than 20% of the layer depth being stabilized. Best material: Dry Sand (or clay soil with less than 20% PI) and 5 to 10mm gravel.

For cold asphalt, you want to be at an average of 10mm with fine dust not going over 10%. If not, it will consume too much product.

For APS, once the performance has reached the limits of its longevity, a follow-up application is necessary to restore and rejuvenate its optimal performance. Reapplying APS to a previously treated area requires usually only 20% of the original application amount to achieve the same results.

For CAP, it behaves the same way as traditional asphalt when it comes to maintenance and repairs.

K31-APS can only be diluted with potable sweet water. No salt water and no brackish water allowed.

K31-APS does not dissipate (wash away) with rain. Heavier concentrations, will actually waterproof the treated surface.

K31-CAP behaves exactly like traditional asphalt, rain does not affect it. Even better you can allow traffic on it right after application. CAP can even be applied in the rain!

Decreasing the application rate (increased coverage) will result in reduced strength, longevity, and performance for both APS and CAP. We have customers that have been successful using less than the recommended amount, but as the manufacturers, we can’t endorse those protocols.

Yes, you can and here’s the protocol:

  • Sands/sub-soils/ clay/ crushed mining, construction and other waste materials (not saturated materials)
  • No particles larger than 5mm. (angular not round)
  • Preferably a minimum of 35%+ of fines passing through a 200 sieve.
  • Any water can be used including seawater and mildly contaminated water.
  • Calculate by weight the residual moisture and the optimum moisture of the material to be compacted. This will indicate the quantity of APS/water required to bring the mixture to OMC (Optimum Moisture Content).
  • Use a mixture of 1 part APS mixed with 3 or 4 parts water.
  • Compact the brick/block/paver and remove from the machine.
  • Do not stack the bricks on top of each other to dry or they will stick together.
  • K31-APS increases the CBR by a factor of 4-6 times.

K31-APS and K31-CAP are water-soluble. Application equipment should simply be rinsed out after use. Cured K31-APS and K31-CAP need to be soaked with a degreasing agent and high pressure washed.

A hydroseeder is recommended to mix and apply seed, mulch, and K31-APS together. Our K31-APS will work as a super strength tackifier. It will also expedite the germination process of seed.

With Enzymes you need a certain percentage of clays in order for it to be effective. The application cost is high. When it cures you generally need to apply another product to the surface as there will still be top dust. Also, it is not impervious to rain and many times will wash off with the slightest bit of downfall.

Don’t fall for this game that these companies play, emulsions plain and simple do not work, we have tested them ourselves. Petroleum resin emulsions leach away with precipitation, are harmful to vegetation and groundwater, become slippery when wet, are difficult to clean from application equipment and track onto vehicles. Plus they can take in excess of one year or longer to fully dry and cure.

Organic Resin Emulsions are not easy to apply. They offer low tensile strength and do not create a great bond between the soil particles. They also can become tacky and stick to tires and vehicles.

Dust suppression studies have consistently established K31-APS as the most effective product in terms of cost, ease of application, environmental safety, and durability. This is further documented by our CBR and UCS reports.

For APS, typically the polymer enhanced soil will withstand weights over 500 to over 1,800 psi. It depends on the soil. So yes it’ll be able to stabilize the soil and will not break down even with Heavy Haul truck traffic. For CAP, keep in mind that any asphalt is only as strong as the base, if you have a weak base then it will fail. This is why we highly recommend using APS for the base and CAP for the asphalt surface giving you the ultimate road.

It’ll outperform tar as it has a smaller particle size and can extend into the soil. Also, it’ll increase the CBR and the load-bearing strength of the soil. So in all, it is a far superior method to tar.

For APS, the typical application rates for short term, non-traffic dust control (6 months or less) are generally around 0.5 liters of K31-APS concentrate diluted with 9-10 parts water per square meter. For the long term, heavy traffic and dust control we recommend using 1.5 liters of K31-APS mixed with six parts water per square meter. For CAP, the typical application rate is 1 liter of CAP per 30kg of 10mm gravel which will cover 1 square meter or road at 10mm thickness.

K31-APS is generally applied out of a water truck or hydro-seeder and needs to be applied by a contractor as the solution will alter the soil fabric to a slight degree. K31-APS is not much more viscous than water so when added to water it’ll self mix with no agitator necessary. CAP can simply be mixed in a regular concrete mixer and stored in bags or stockpiles. The shelf life is over 3 years once it is mixed with the aggregate.

Yes of course we do, Click Here to visit our YouTube channel where you will find dozens of videos.

Magnesium Chlorides while very cheap in initial cost are backloaded with expenses. Mag Chlorides are corrosive to metal so it puts equipment and vehicles at risk. The surface becomes slippery when wet. It also leaches away with precipitation so the need to re-apply is much greater. Furthermore, it is harmful to groundwater and vegetation.

Yes, K31-APS actually replaces the traditional methods of having to import heavy stones and sand to build the road base.

The shelf life of K31-CAP is over 3 years once it is mixed with the aggregate. The shelf life of k31-APS is 3 years if kept away from the sun, but better to use it within the two years.

Organic Resin Emulsions are not easy to apply. They offer low tensile strength and do not create a great bond between the soil particles. They also can become tacky and stick to tires and vehicles.

Lignin Sulfonates are corrosive to aluminum. They leach away with precipitation and are harmful to groundwater. The area that has been applied can become slippery when wet as well.

Dust suppression studies have consistently established Soil Stabilization Innovations blends as the most effective product in terms of cost, ease of application, environmental safety, and durability. This is further documented by our CBR and UCS reports.

For APS, we have done roads that accommodated over 70 mph easily. It just depends on how smooth you get the road in the grading process. For CAP, vehicles can go the same speed as traditional asphalt.

When applied our products will coat the soil particles with a plastic resin. This mitigates the swell potential of the soil.

K31-APS works with most soil types, but we need plasticity to be 20% or less for top performance. It will still work on high PI soils but the finished product will not look as good.

Some of our competitors mix the dust control agent with paints which can be high in VOC’s. When VOCs begin to break down, they will enter the environment and actually be more harmful than the native dust they were intended to stop. Our company holds itself to the highest of standards and prides itself on providing paint-free, environment-friendly products. APS is an eco-friendly product.

Do not be misled by unscrupulous “snake oil” sales tactics. “Polymers” is a vague description of the product. Many companies sell simple polymer, Homopolymers, etc. That are cheaper to make but do not hold up anywhere near that of K31-APS military-grade soil stabilizer. Many will give good strength numbers in a 7-day test but after as many as a couple of weeks will start to deteriorate because they are not manufactured with longevity in mind.

Yes, it can. One of K31-APS many purposes is to replace the traditional method of having to bring large stones, sand and/or laterite to build the base for roads or highways. In many ways, it’s a more practical approach because the strength is much more consistent than with traditional methods. Plus it saves tons of time, machine, labor and money in the base construction.

Yes, of course. K31-APS and K31-CAP have been used on several occasions to build runways for light to heavy airplanes.

Yes, of course. K31-CAP can be used to build roads and to repair potholes. Traffic can be opened immediately after application. Click Here to see!

Yes it can, as a matter of fact, you can dump the mix into a pothole that is full of water and it will still work.
K31-CAP is a similar product but at a fraction of the price. We sell you the liquid and you can manufacture the asphalt yourself using a simple concrete mixer. With EZ Street you are paying huge money mostly for stones and you would need an expensive asphalt plant if you wanted to do it yourself.
One tote will let you manufacture 25-30 tons of cold pre-mixed asphalt depending on the quality of the roadstone and you can store them for several months, even years. Now you see why this would make such a great business for anyone!

Asphalt prices vary by country but on average you can easily sell each bar for about $10us or more. This is a great new business for any contractor large or small.

We receive an average of 35 inquiries daily and most ask for samples. As a business, this is totally unpractical. Therefore, it is our company policy not to send samples to anyone. Normally we sell by the container load, but we will make an exception on your first order to sell you a minimum of one tote of 1000 liters or either product.
Don’t fall victim to online “snake oil salesmen” claiming that their product works on every soil. This is pure fantasy and no one has ever engineered such a product. For example, you know if the PI (plasticity index) is too high then when that soil gets wet it will expand and contract when it’s dry, creating huge cracks on the soil. Another example would be soil that has no mechanical bonding capabilities, rendering it impossible to stabilize with anything. There are no products that will work efficiently and long term on these types of soil unless you use cement in huge amounts such as 40% by soil weight. Which would make the procedure extremely expensive. This is why we always insist on conducting simple soil tests before engaging any new project to give you the best and most economical solution.

The soil test is really quite simple.

Dig 10-15 cm in several areas of the project site and collect about 10 kg of soil. For example, if it’s a road then dig every 200-300 meters or so, or every time you see the color of the soil change. Then label your samples so you know which area they came from and take them to any lab. Have them test each sample for sieve analysis, proctor, and plasticity index. Send us the results along with some photos and videos of the site and we will advise you on the best way forward. By the way, these lab tests should be done whether you are using APS, or any other type of product, or no product at all. If you want a solid road or road base you must always test your soil!

K31 Road Engineering LLC is a USA-registered company. Our head offices are located in the state of California and we have our factories and warehouses in Texas and Georgia.

You certainly are free to do so, but based on previous experience over the years, we highly recommend you use the same logistics agent that we have been using for the past 7 years. We do not make any type of profit in logistics. When you decide to pick up the products at the warehouse you are acting as a customer inside the US buying a product from a store. Meaning you are responsible for all due diligence in ground transportation, insurances, port schedule, etc. In other words, after we give you the SDS and TDS with a commercial invoice and packing list, we are done and can’t get involved any further. Every time a new customer has hired an agent to pick up the material at our warehouse it has turned out to be a disaster of delays and complications for them. Mainly because these new agents are not familiar with the handling of our products and with the logistics of these types of materials for shipping.

Yes, of course, we can send a technician to do a presentation for your company in your country. You must cover all the travel and hotel expenses for the technician. If you invest in at least one container of APS 5 days of the technician on-site for free, if you order 2 containers then you get 10 days free of charge, and so on. But if you wish him to stay longer then there will be a daily consulting fee offered at a discounted rate of the normal consulting fee. If you want the technician to go and do presentations and answer questions for you, and/or conduct small tests for your clients, then there is a daily consulting fee for the technician’s time.

We do not partner with any company in any country, we manufacture and supply the product. Of course, we will fully support you technically to make sure you succeed in using our products.

In most instances, no, we do not. Banks in the US are not familiar with this type of transaction. Plus it has been our experience that Letters of Credit issued by any bank can become a big headache, taking up to 6 months for the funds to be released. The banks ask for too many items such as colored stamps and original documents from customs, which in many countries can be difficult to obtain in a timely manner. Therefore, we DO NOT accept nor work with LCs Letters of Credit.
Very simple, either 100% upfront bank transfer or 50% deposit payment upfront by bank transfer and 50% balance payment by bank transfer when we email you the BOL (Bill Of Landing). The second payment option will cost you more in transfer fees, but totally up to you. NO EXCEPTIONS.
We will not issue letters of exclusivity until you place an order, but if someone else ordered before you and claimed exclusivity then we can not grant you exclusivity. no exceptions. To keep your exclusivity you must maintain a certain number of containers per year, we will be flexible the first year which is usually the hardest.
Yes, we can send a technician free of charge to as many projects as you like, all you have to do is cover the travel and hotel costs of the technician. See question number 1 regarding the technician’s time on site.

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