Solidia Technologies presents research at the XV Annual Anna Maria Workshop

According to research presented at the XV Annual Anna Maria Workshop on Concrete Technology, concrete produced using calcium silicate cement (Solidia Cement™) resists degradation after exposure to sulfate solution.

During the workshop, which featured leading scholars and innovators in concrete technology from the US, Canada, Switzerland, Norway and South Africa, Solidia Technologies^® Principal Scientist Sada Sahu, Ph.D., presented research entitled “Resistance of Calcium Silicate Cement to Sulfate Attack” and reported test results of Solidia Cement-based mortar bars exposed to a sulfate solution. The Solidia Cement-based mortar bars showed no signs of appreciable expansion, cracking or spalling, even after one year of exposure. This compares favourably to concrete produced with OPC, which is vulnerable to deterioration when exposed to sulfate-bearing soil or water. Scanning electron microscopic examination and energy dispersive X-ray analysis of Solidia Concrete™ showed no presence of ettringite, gypsum or thaumasite, which commonly presents with sulfate- exposed ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and is a critical factor in its degradation process.

Solidia Cement gains strength through a carbonation process instead of a hydration process. Produced with the same sand, aggregate, mixing equipment and forming equipment as traditional concretes, Solidia Concrete cures in a shorter time and, according to the company‘s research, is more durable than OPC-based concrete. Carbon emissions associated with the production of Solidia Cement and its use in Solidia Concrete are reduced up to 70% compared to OPC-based concrete.

Adapted from press release by Rosalie Starling

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/25112014/solidia-technologies-presents-research-at-the-xv-annual-anna-maria-workshop-904/