Skip to main content

Sustainable Concrete is the Question? Mapei Concrete Admixtures is the Answer.

 Concrete structures are supposed to be and essentially sustainable. Now what form of sustainability are we talking about is also a concern. Are we talking about the sustainability or the ability to last for longer period? Or are we talking about the green concrete or the sustainable eco-friendly solution. Well, the answer is both. If we are talking about sustainability in the manner of strength concrete admixtures are the answer helping to build durable and resilient concrete buildings and infrastructure supporting safe and strong development of the human civilization.

Concrete admixtures and sustainability

Cement additives and concrete admixtures are chemicals that help cement-based systems last longer. Enhancing durability and strength through water reduction, as well as accelerating the cement hydration process to allow extra cementitious materials to replace clinker, are two ways to achieve this improvement.

Different admixture technologies are frequently used in combination today, particularly in concrete systems that incorporate secondary cementitious materials (SCMs), where not only water reduction but also chemistries that catalyses the cement hydration reaction are used to allow for more SCMs to be included while maintaining the specified strength.

·         Dispersant-based water reducers and superplasticizers

One of the most successful concretes improving technologies produced is dispersant-based water reducers. These dispersing chemicals can deflocculate cement grains and other tiny particles, allowing water that would otherwise be trapped in the cement flocs to escape. The bulk flow of the concrete system increases as a result of this activity. The use of these potent water-reducing chemistries has resulted in concrete with excellent rheological characteristics. Another option to use water reducers to promote sustainability is to use less cement or more SCMs in the concrete mix.

·         Air entraining agents

Air entraining agents (AEAs) are surface active agents that work by stabilising microscopic air bubbles in concrete to relieve pressure when entrained water expands during the freezing process. As a result, AEAs are required by construction regulations in many freeze-thaw-prone zones around the world, and they've been utilized successfully for 75 years. AEAs can also help to reduce CO2 emissions from mortar manufacturing, which accounts for 40% of cement used in developing countries and nearly a third of global cement production. By including AEAs, mortar makers can obtain comparable flow to the more conventional techniques of adding more cement or water to the system, thanks to the lubricating effect of the air bubbles.

·         Accelerators

For well over a century, set and hardening accelerators have been recognised and employed. Concrete admixtures of these types are essential in the production of cement-based products because of their capacity to stimulate cement hydration and compensate for low early strength development with SCMs. They're mostly soluble calcium chloride, nitrate, and nitrite salts. Sodium thiocyanates and amines are two further types of accelerators. Despite their effectiveness, chloride salts are typically prohibited from usage due to their ability to promote corrosion of reinforcement components. As a result, more non-chloride and non-corrosive accelerators are being used, which is another promising option for developing sustainable concrete.

Sustainability for environmental cause

Coming to the second concern are concrete sustainable for the environmental cause? Well not all. The use of concrete has been known to humankind since ancient times, the traces and use of it from the past been found even today. In the present human civilization is distinctly defined for its progress in building the concrete structures. However, what about the future does the development of construction technology has an answer for the future and its sustainability.

The answer is yes. Immense amount of research and development is being carried on to come up with green concrete and alternative of the current option affecting the environment. Concrete admixtures and products used in the constructional sites are going under evaluation as to how can they be produced without impacting the environment.

Concrete admixtures can be used to lower cement content, allow for more use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), and even improve environmental resilience to help constructions last longer. Admixtures have the ability to reduce CO2 emissions related with the manufacture of concrete. The impact of admixtures on sustainability, on the other hand, can be complicated and entail a lot of variables. The following examples show how admixtures can be used to lower concrete's CO2 footprint in a variety of ways.

Concrete admixtures can be used creatively, either alone or in combination, to reduce CO2 emissions related with concrete production.

Mapei concrete admixtures as the answer

Mapei offers a wide range of concrete admixtures and admixture types such as the

·         Water reducing/plasticising admixture

·         High range water reducing super-plasticizing admixture

·         Water retaining admixture

·         Hardening accelerating admixture

·         Water resisting admixture

·         Set retarding/ water reducing/ plasticizing admixture

·         Set retarding/high range water reducing/super-plasticizing admixture

·         Set accelerating/ water reducing/ plasticizing admixture

Because concrete admixtures can have such a wide range of properties and applications, the standard provides multiple classification groups, tests, and minimum performance criteria for each admixture type. Mapei Concrete admixtures are produced keeping in mind the site requirements, for example whether it is to support precast concrete or to avoid spalling concrete just to name a few.

Mapei also offer concrete admixture product to support the green construction with its eco-friendly products and would urge the construction companies, builders and professionals from the field to increase the usage of these product.

Mapei products are line of legacy and quality combines and have served for more than eight decades. One of the primary principles of Mapei is to preserve for the future thus sustainable concrete is always the primary goals.

Want to know more about Mapei concrete admixture products read here.

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Role of Admixture in Precast Concrete

 With shifting global markets, increased customer expectations, and increasing labour costs, the precast concrete industry is constantly innovating. Productivity, quality, and bottom-line profits are always on the minds of producers. Additionally, the heightened awareness of environmental issues, coupled with a greater emphasis on project life-cycles, has meant more demand for environmentally friendly construction practices, especially regarding the reduction of waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy consumption. It is no surprise that concrete is one of the major construction materials and the most abundant material produced around the world. This has driven the development of new concrete technologies both in general and specifically for precastconcrete . As a result, a number of concrete types have been developed, including fibre reinforced concrete, polymer concrete, Ferro cement, sulphur concrete, lightweight aggregate concrete, autoclaved cellular concrete, high-dens...

Mapei Resin Floor Finishes

You have invested in the very best quality of materials and workmanship and it is essential that Mapei resin floors be cleaned on a regular basis to ensure a safe and hygienic finish, which will prolong the life of your investment . According to their type, it is known that there are two types of resin floor system. These are as follows: Epoxy Cementitious Polyurethane Protect the New Floors Under normal circumstances, cleaning should be carried out using a scrubbing method, together with an appropriate chemical diluted to the manufacturer’s instruction. The size of the floor will dictate which of several recommended methods should be used. There are many different types of brushes and cleaning pads available and advice should be sought on which should be used. Generally, a stiff bristle with an abrasive coating will give a far more aggressive scrub than a soft uncoated bristle, but this will remove the natural gloss from the floor. Conversely, a  soft bri...