BASF to Showcase Sustainable Products at ConExpo ConAgg Show

BASF, the Chemical Company, will showcase its latest technology innovations for sustainable concrete construction and proprietary concrete tools at booth S-9033 during the ConExpo-Con/Agg show, March, 22 – 26, 2011 in Las Vegas.

The booth will feature product and technology solutions for Commercial, Residential, Infrastructure and Sustainable Concrete applications. Admixture chemistry and fiber technology from BASF assists in manufacturing cost-effective concrete that enhances performance characteristics, improves aesthetics, increases the durability of structures and extends service life, and reduces the overall environmental impact.
In addition to technologies that enhance the properties of concrete, BASF will showcase four of its proprietary electronic tools that have been developed by the business to help concrete producers, architects, engineers, and building owners recognize the benefits of using concrete on their projects.
• Integrated Durability-Sustainability Wizard – This Wizard is intended to assist engineers, architects and specifiers in selecting admixture products and technologies to address various durability issues as well as to identify concrete technologies that may potentially contribute to earning LEED Credits for a building.
• Eco-Efficiency Analysis (EEA) Program –The innovative Eco-Efficiency Analysis program examines the environmental life cycle of concrete mixtures, beginning with the extraction of raw materials through the production of concrete. This analysis quantifies the economic and ecological benefits of concrete.
• Macro-Polymetric Fiber Dosage Wizard – The Wizard helps engineers, contractors, and concrete producers determine the amount of macrosynthetic fibers required to replace either welded-wire reinforcement (WWR) or small diameter bars used as shrinkage and temperature reinforcement and the potential savings.
• Surface Evaporation Calculator – This calculator gives an indication, based on a few simple inputs, of whether or not the weather conditions on the day of a concrete placement create a higher chance of plastic shrinkage cracking due to an increase in the rate of surface evaporation.
Each of these tools was custom designed and developed by BASF and is intended to further promote the use of concrete in construction while quantifying its ecological and environmental impact, calculating cost savings for the producer, the owner and the architect, increasing durability and service life, and assisting with project planning. Live demonstrations of the tools will take place in the booth.

In addition, BASF is hosting a Concrete Trivia Smackdown in the booth during the show. Each day the highest scoring player will receive a 16GB Wi-Fi iPad. The games will occur at the top and bottom of the hour, with three players per game challenged with questions in areas that revolve around concrete and construction, admixture technology, sustainability, industry acronyms, and some fun trivia facts just to name a few. Stop by the BASF booth S-9033 during the show to play.

To learn more about these technologies, please click here or stop by the BASF booth S-9033 at the 2011 ConExpo-Con/Agg. For more information about BASF’s sustainable construction solutions, please visit http://www.construction.basf.us/.

About the Construction Chemicals division
BASF’s Construction Chemicals division is the leading supplier of chemical systems and formulations for the construction industry. Continuous innovation and tailor-made solutions ensure its customers are more successful. Its Admixture Systems business unit specifically helps customers in the ready-mix, precast, manufactured concrete and underground construction industries. The Construction Systems unit offers a wide range of products for sports and industrial flooring, external renders and wall insulation, expansion joints, wood preservatives as well as specialist repair mortars, tile adhesives and waterproofing membranes. The division operates production sites and sales centers in more than 50 countries and achieved sales of about €2.1 billion with approximately 6,900 employees in 2010.

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Green Cleaners for Concrete Floors

Daimer Industries Inc.®, recognized for its biodegradable Eco-Green® cleaning formulations, has now shipped a duo of concrete cleaners for floors. The first product, Multi-Purpose Hard Surface Cleaner, has been formulated for use on finished and polished surfaces, while the other, Concrete Cleaner with Rust Stain Remover, was designed for use on unfinished concrete and stain cleaning. The products are manufactured for both commercial and industrial environments.

“These two concrete cleaners offer earth-safe alternatives for tough cleaning jobs on heavily trafficked floors,” explained Matthew Baratta, a Daimer.com sustainable stone cleaning products spokesman. “These new green formulations utilize the same plant-derived, proprietary chemistry that forms the basis for all Eco-Green® cleaners and preparations.”

Concrete Cleaners without Toxic Additives

The two new green concrete cleaners were designed for use on a variety common concrete floor surfaces.

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Rapid Set Offers a Greener Hydraulic Cement

According to recent studies, Rapid Set® is a greener hydraulic cement primarily because it has a much smaller carbon footprint than portland cement. In its manufacturing process, it generates far less carbon dioxide (CO2)[i].

There are a number of reasons for the exceptional “green” characteristics of Rapid Set® cement and concrete. In the case of cement production practice, the emissions of carbon dioxide gas result from two aspects of the high-temperature manufacturing process.

First, in the cement kiln, the raw materials (limestone, clay, etc.) decompose, releasing large amounts of CO2.

Second, the combustion of fuel (generally coal) with air in a cement kiln, also releases carbon dioxide, much the same as carbon dioxide gas is emitted from the exhaust pipe of a vehicle that is burning gasoline or diesel fuel.

In the case of portland cement, approximately 40% of emitted CO2 results from the burning of the fuel in a kiln, and 60% comes from the decarbonation of the limestone.[ii] A recent estimate for carbon dioxide emissions for portland cement production is 0.9 pounds of CO2 per pound of ground portland cement.[iii]

An analysis of Rapid Set® manufacturing raw materials composition, pyroprocessing techniques, and cement grinding has established a baseline emission rate of 0.61 pounds of CO2 per pound of Rapid Set® cement produced, broken down as follows:[iv]

Only 0.21 pounds of CO2 per pound of cement from fuel (coal) combustion because its burning temperature is approximately 220°C lower than that of portland processes.

Only 0.40 pounds of CO2 per pound of cement from thermal decarbonation of calcium carbonate (limestone).

Rapid Set® also reduces the impact of cement production on the environment:

•  The reduced burning zone temperature needed to form Rapid Set® clinker has the additional advantage of producing lesser amounts of smog-producing oxides of nitrogen.
• The softer and more friable nature of Rapid Set® clinker also lends itself to much easier grinding and a lower grinding mill energy consumption.
• Hardened Rapid Set® concrete is much more durable than portland cement concrete, and has a particularly greater resistance to sulfate or other types of chemical attack. Due to its very rapid strength producing ettringite formation, lower porosity, and subsequent internal self-desiccation, Rapid Set® is extremely impervious to carbonation, freeze-thaw susceptibility, and acid rain leaching. Thus, it has a proven record of field performance that exceeds the normal useful life span of portland cement concrete.
• A number of recycled products, such as waste calcium sulfate from chemical plants and recycled aluminum products (up to 20% by weight of the raw materials) enter into its composition. This improves the sustainability of the cement.
• Rapid Set® cement and concrete provides lower emission of green house gases, lower emissions of smog-producing nitrogen oxides, increased lifespan leading to lower frequency of repairs or replacement, and improved sustainability through the use of recycled raw materials.

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[i] Klemm Report 2008

[ii] Green in Practice: Technical Brief 102, 2008 PCA Publication, http://www.concretethinker.com/papers.aspx?DocID=312

  

[iii] Manufacturing Fact Sheet, 2008 PCA Briefing Kit Publication, http://www.cement.org/Briefingkit/manu_facts.asp

  

[iv] Klemm Report 2008