What are the commonly used water-reducing agents on the market?
Release Time:
2015-07-06
Source:
What are the commonly used water-reducing agents on the market?
There are many types of water-reducing agents; so which ones are commonly found in the market? How are they formulated, what water-reducing effects do they exhibit, and in what applications are they used? Below, we will introduce several common water-reducing agents—lignosulfonate, naphthalene-based, melamine-based, polycarboxylate, casein-based, amino-sulfonate, and acrylic-based—each of which is widely used in the market. Details are as follows:
1. Lignosulfonates: These are conventional water-reducing admixtures derived from lignin, typically extracted from coniferous wood. Lignin is a polymer composed of three monomeric units—coniferyl alcohol, p-coumaryl alcohol, and sinapyl alcohol. When incorporated into mortars, they enhance workability and flow, increase strength, and achieve a water-reduction rate of 5% to 10%.
2. Naphthalene sulfonate superplasticizer: This is the earliest high-efficiency superplasticizer used in China, produced by sulfonating naphthalene with sulfuric acid followed by condensation with formaldehyde. It is an anionic surfactant. Depending on the specific product, it appears as a light-yellow to dark-brown powder, is readily soluble in water, exhibits excellent dispersing performance for many powdered materials such as cement, and can achieve a water-reducing rate of up to 25%.
3. Melamine-based water-reducing agents are produced by sulfonating melamine with sulfuric acid, followed by condensation with formaldehyde; hence their chemical name is sulfonated melamine-formaldehyde resin, which classifies them as anionic surfactants. These water-reducing agents appear as a white powder, are readily soluble in water, exhibit excellent dispersing performance for powdered materials, deliver high water-reduction rates, and demonstrate good flowability and self-healing properties.
4. Polycarboxylate superplasticizer: This is a new type of high-performance water-reducing admixture developed in recent years, characterized by excellent water-reduction efficiency, workability, and penetration. It significantly enhances the strength of cement mortars; however, its production process is complex, resulting in generally higher costs.
5. Casein: It is a biopolymer obtained by acid precipitation of milk followed by drum drying.
6. Polycarboxylate-based high-performance water-reducing agents are currently among the most advanced, technologically sophisticated, promising in application, and superior in overall performance concrete superplasticizers (water reducers) in the world. These agents are formulated as blends of carboxylic acid–grafted multicomponent copolymers and other effective admixtures. Comparative performance tests against similar products both domestically and internationally demonstrate that polycarboxylate-based high-performance water-reducing agents have attained today’s international advanced level in terms of technical performance indicators and cost-effectiveness.
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