PRINCIPLES AND USE OF ACID-RESISTANT CONCRETES

The requirements on constructions materials for industrial reinforced-concrete structures have risen notably in recent years, because these building objects have been assuming ever greater and more technically demanding dimensions. This trend is placing greater importance on the use of special high-performance concretes. Acid resistance is a special requirement. Concretes with high acid resistance can be used in wastewater systems, industrial plants, agricultural buildings and in the construction of the cooling towers of power plants. Acids can damage the binder matrix, the reinforcing steel and, to some extent, the aggregate of the concretes. The resistance of reinforced-concrete structures to attack from acid can be guaranteed through coatings or by an appropriate choice of materials for the composition of the concrete. With the high-performance concrete Duracrete (R) bevo, which can be used in prefabricated and ready-mixed form in many ways, it has been possible to develop a construction material with outstanding resistance to acid attack.