Sunday, February 15, 2009

Self-cleaning Concrete:

Self-cleaning buildings and pollution-reducing roadways: these may sound like futuristic ideas but they are realities of some of today’s concrete. Recently introduced formulations of cement are able to neutralize pollution. Harmful smog can be turned into harmless compounds and washed away. The concrete can be imparted self-cleaning properties, using a special type of cement, the so called 'Photocatalytic Cement'. It uses photocatalytic process for the in situ degradation of polluting compounds. The cement is used in the same manner as regular Portland cement, gray or white. These products provide value through unique architectural and environmental performance capabilities. The cement gains the special properties incorporating fine particles of semiconductor material, titanium dioxide, during the process of manufacture.

There are two major cement companies distributing this type of cement in the United States. Italcementi, the Italian parent company of Essroc Cement, originally brought this product to market. They have recently licensed Lehigh White Cement Company to produce and market the material in Europe and North America. In the U.S., the photocatalytic cement is marketed under the brand name 'TX Active' available as gray or white Portland cement Type I, II, or III complying with ASTM C150. In Canada, TX Active is available as gray or white Portland Cement Type GU, MS, and HE, complying with CSA A3001. The product is offered in two formulations. The first, 'TX Arca', offers the self-cleaning properties against atmospheric compounds that stain concrete over time. The second, 'TX Aria', adds depolluting qualities to the self-cleaning properties of TX Arca.

Question:

Discuss the importance of imparting self-cleaning properties to concrete in the current scenario.

Self-cleaning surfaces:

TiO2-containing photoactive materials represent an appealing way to create self-cleaning surfaces, thus limiting maintenance costs, and to promote the degradation of polluting agents. Several mortars containing anatase TiO2, added as suspension or as powder, were characterized: among the photocatalytic mortars, the use of a combined additive (both powder and suspension) improved the material response. The best photoefficiency was exhibited by a mortar containing TiO2 as surface covering; nevertheless, the adhesion problems shown by the surface layer open the way for future widening of investigations focused on the optimization of layer durability. Read more .. ..


1 comment:

  1. The most important factor of consideration while choosing a cleaning service is whether or not they are dependable and reliable. We also offer Housekeeping Services at newly constructed building to do the post construction clean up. We also clean the yards, parking lots, etc. Maintenance work will also be carried out wherever necessary. To know more about services that we offer please visit:- Housekeeping Services

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Adviser and Development Professional for Cement Manufacturing, Concrete and Construction. Arbitrator. Motivational Speaker.