The “cash-only” policy for concrete has accelerated the rapid development of water-reducing admixtures.
Release Time:
2016-01-20
Source:
The “cash-only” policy for concrete has accelerated the rapid development of water-reducing admixtures.
The latest overarching environmental protection policy is exerting further influence on the construction materials industry, while also creating new market opportunities—such as the ready-mixed concrete market. In Europe and North America, the penetration rate of ready-mixed concrete stands at 80%, whereas in China it is only 40%, with particularly low adoption rates in the central and western regions, indicating substantial future growth potential.
For environmental protection and other reasons, the state has banned on-site concrete mixing in major cities. Industry insiders generally believe that, as concrete supply shifts from an on-site mixing model to a centralized batching model dominated by ready-mixed concrete, new market opportunities are expected to emerge, significantly boosting the concrete… Water-reducing agent demand. Local regulations prohibiting on-site concrete mixing have been issued and implemented one after another, which will objectively further stimulate the development of the ready-mixed concrete market. Data show that water-reducing admixtures are the most widely used and consumed type of concrete admixture; therefore, in the industry, the term “concrete admixture” generally refers to water-reducing admixtures. Concrete admixtures are products added during the mixing of concrete, mortar, or paste—at a dosage equal to or less than 5% of the cement mass—during the initial mixing process or any additional mixing operations, with the purpose of modifying the concrete’s normal performance to meet specified requirements.
The use of water-reducing admixtures can save cement, reduce costs, shorten construction schedules, improve the workability of concrete, and enhance the quality and service life of structures, thereby delivering significant benefits in energy conservation, environmental protection, project economics, and occupational safety. With the rapid economic development in China, the adoption rate of ready-mixed concrete has steadily increased, as has the usage rate of concrete admixtures. By 2010, the proportion of concrete incorporating admixtures had risen from approximately 15% of total concrete production to around 30%.
In 2003, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Construction, and the Ministry of Transport jointly issued the “Notice on the Time-Limited Prohibition of On-Site Concrete Mixing in Urban Areas” (Document No. [2003]341 of the Ministry of Commerce), which stipulated: “Municipalities directly under the central government, provincial capitals, coastal open cities, and tourist cities shall actively promote the development of ready-mixed concrete; effective December 31, 2003, on-site concrete mixing is prohibited in urban areas of 124 cities nationwide; in other cities, on-site concrete mixing is prohibited in urban areas effective December 31, 2005.” In response to national policies and regulations as well as local conditions, governments at all levels have also promulgated relevant documents to encourage and support construction entities and contractors in using ready-mixed concrete, thereby significantly boosting the development of the ready-mixed concrete industry. Whereas previously ready-mixed concrete batching plants were established only in prefecture-level cities, in recent years such plants have also been set up in county seats. Moreover, the ready-mixed concrete sector has experienced rapid growth in the central and western regions.
To enhance the quality of construction projects and promote green construction practices, improve urban air quality, reduce secondary dust pollution, and combat smog, the Xi’an Municipal Government issued a notice in July 2013 prohibiting on-site mixing of concrete and mortar at construction sites. As a result, the supply of concrete has gradually shifted from on-site mixing to a centralized batching model dominated by ready-mixed concrete, which has significantly boosted demand for water-reducing admixtures. At the same time, the substantial economic benefits that water-reducing admixtures offer to enterprises are another key factor driving the rapid growth in their demand. The primary reason companies adopt these admixtures is cost savings: they enable reduced cement consumption, increased use of fly ash and other supplementary materials, and overall resource conservation.
