Chemicals

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development will soon be issuing a report on sustainability issues relating to the use of cement in construction. The report follows five years of work on the issue.

Some highlights of the report will include:

- Recommendations for a common approach for monitoring and reporting all direct and indirect CO2 emissions from the cement manufacturing process. The report identified NOx, SOx and dust as the main polluting emissions in terms of volume. All the member companies have agreed to monitor these pollutants at the main stacks according to international or national standards accepted by the local authorities.

- Recommendations on responsible use of fuel and raw materials.

- Guidelines for an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment process for the cement industry to enable companies and communities to address some of the critical issues during each phase of a cement facility's development, from site acquisition through construction, operation and closure.

WBCSD issued a preliminary report in 2005. The full report is expected during fall 2007.

A new translucent concrete dye for overlays – a product its manufacturer says does not produce a film that can be worn away – is now available to contractors for interior use.

Madera, California-based QC Construction Products recently released the translucent, micronized, chemically inert and non-reactive pigment that, when applied to overlays, profiled or polished concrete, provides coloring effects without creating a film or coating that can be worn away, the company says.

The concrete dye is manufactured as a ready-to-use product both in water-based and solvent-based formulations. This product is available in 16 standard colors and can be field diluted with a variety of liquids, from water to acetone, to yield a broad range of hues. It is available in one-pint, one-gallon and five-gallon containers.

“It’s a topical treatment for existing overlays,” says Tischa Coffman, communications manager for QC Construction Products. “If you had existing concrete and you’re going to polish it ― or a new pour that was finished ― it could be applied to that.”

An analysis from the consulting firm Frost & Sullivan predicts that the U.S. concrete admixtures market will jump from $686 million in 2006 to $1.07 billion by 2013.

Report authors say the major growth drivers include increased construction activities in the commercial and industrial divisions, climatic variations in the United States and diverse concreting requirements in sewage and chemical industries.

"Concrete admixtures offer better strength properties than fresh and hardened concrete," says Frost & Sullivan industry analyst Raghu Tantry. "It produces flowable and workable concrete, which prevents specific problems associated with placement of concrete."

The report indicates that new chemistries in admixtures are instrumental in increasing the confidence of the concrete industry in developing self-consolidating concrete (SCC) and ready-mix, pre-cast, high performance and pre-stressed concrete mixes. The report also indicates that these properties of admixtures help economize on construction materials and costs, thereby encouraging use of concrete admixture in numerous construction projects.

Portland Cement Association’s (PCA) Education and Training Department announced the fall course schedule. The class on Aggregates and Chemical Admixtures for Use in Concrete will be on October 1-2; Kiln Process will be October 1-4; Mill Grinding, October 22-24; Concrete: Principles & Practices on October 22-25; Cement Manufacturing for Process Engineers on November 5-8; Troubleshooting: Solutions to Concrete Field Problems on November 5-7.

In addition, PCA will sponsor American Concrete Institute Concrete Field Testing Technician Grade I Certification examinations on Sept. 21 at its Skokie, Illinois, office. Recertification is necessary every five years, and requires successful completion of both a written and performance examination.

PCA is also offering regional seminars as an alternative to the conventional classroom sessions. Registration is still available for the following regional courses: Pulverized Fuel Guidelines for the Cement Industry, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on September 18 and Raw Mix Chemistry, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on September 19.