Sydney - The tar ponds will be front and centre as experts from around the globe delve into the process of contaminated site remediation during a three-day workshop at Cape Breton University this week.

The conference on solidification and stabilization technology will bring together academics, remediation contractors, engineers and government to learn how the technology has been used to clean up other contaminated sites.

"This is an opportunity for Canadians to learn more about the technology," said Colin Dickson, spokesman for the Cement Association of Canada, the organizer of the conference.

The technology has been around for 50 years and has been widely used in the U.S and Britain, Mr. Dickson said. It involves stabilizing chemicals in the soil, then mixing a binding agent like cement powder with the contaminated earth to create a cement cover.

Incineration is also proposed for the Sydney tar ponds, residue of a century of steelmaking.