Crystal Speed Hardening™ concept from BASF accelerates concrete hardening
-
Doubles early strength
-
Increases productivity and quality in concrete production
-
Contributes to more sustainable construction
Zurich, Switzerland - October 6, 2009 - BASF has launched its new Crystal Speed Hardening™ concept for contractors and precast producers. The core product of the concept is X-SEED® 100, a unique hardening accelerator. It helps to speed up concrete hardening significantly at early ages (6-12 hours), supporting at least double strength at low, ambient and heat curing temperatures.
In contrast to traditional acceleration methods such as heat application or normal accelerators, X-SEED® 100 does not interfere adversely with the final engineering properties of the concrete. In addition, it helps to save time and has a positive impact on energy efficiency, offering an attractive overall cost saving potential. “With our new Crystal Speed Hardening concept, BASF supports the concrete industry’s need for more sustainable production,” said Dr Uwe Holland, Head of Marketing Admixture Systems Europe.
X-SEED 100 consists of synthetically produced crystal seeds in liquid form, which boost the hardening properties of the concrete mix. It improves the quality of the hardened cement paste and provides durability benefits. “Our new concept exceeds and strengthens all existing solutions for the key industry needs and is fully compatible with established BASF admixture technologies such as the Zero Energy System™ using Glenium® ACE and Smart Dynamic Concrete™ with RheoMATRIX®,” added Dr Michael Kompatscher, Segment Manager Precast/MCP.
A video illustrating the properties of the new accelerator is available at http://www.construction-chemicals.basf.com/x-seed .
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 €2.2 billion with approximately 7,700 employees in 2008.
About BASF
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals and oil and gas. As a reliable partner BASF helps its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than €62 billion in 2008 and had approximately 97,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.comP-09-400