The Use of Water Reducing Additives for Development of New Ecological and High-Performance Materials

Abstract

The decreasing amount of the world's water supply is a significant issue nowadays. Global warming is one of the key factors contributing to the increasing loss of water supplies, but wasteful water usage for domestic and industrial use is also a major factor. The water consumption reduction by using proper additives is a technique to reduce high water consumption in the construction sector. Sulphonated melamine formaldehyde, sulphonated naphthalene formaldehyde, modified lignosulphonates and polycarboxylate derivatives are examples of additives providing this feature. Condensed polymers are the basis for producing these additives. Their action mechanism consists in the de-flocculation of the cement granules and improving the workability of freshly mixed concrete. The water reduction potency of polycarboxylate derivatives is substantially higher than that of other additives. In the same time, the use of modified lignosulphonates also solves the problem of associated environmental pollution, being a by-product from the wood pulp processing by the sulfite process. Details about water consumption reducing additives will be presented in this paper based on literature review and on the author's own experience: the preparation methods, chemical composition and properties of the obtained building materials.