MOSCOW (MRC) -- Brazil's construction industry is being presented with yet another opportunity to innovate. The Danish company BubbleDeck, with Braskem's support, is launching in Brazil a construction system that uses plastic ellipsoids to reduce the weight of concrete slabs, which speeds up construction while reducing costs and environmental impacts, reported Braskem on its site.
The new technology is already being used by Odebrecht in the construction of the Administrative Center of the Federal District (CADF), which is being executed by a consortium formed by Odebrecht Infraestrutura and Via Engenharia. Known as BubbleDeck technology, the construction system is already in use in over 30 countries and has won various European awards for its high level of innovation and sustainability.
The system consists of polypropylene ellipsoids that are uniformly inserted between two steel reinforcement meshes. The ellipsoids are introduced to occupy the concrete zone that performs no structural functions. This means you can build slabs that are just as resistant as solid slabs, but lighter. The system offers significant savings in material, higher productivity and consequently lower environmental impacts.
"With the strong growth in Brazil's construction industry, investments are needed in new techniques that are more practical and offer good a cost-benefit tradeoff and greater eco-efficiency. The BubbleDeck construction system combines all these benefits, which is why Braskem supports and promotes this new technology in our country," said Walmir Soller, director of Braskem's polypropylene business.
We remind that, as MRC wrote previously, Braskem, one of the leading thermoplastic resin producers in the Americas and among the world's largest biopolymer producers, has recently announced the expansion of its portfolio of renewable products with the launch of its new line of green low-density polyethylene (LDPE), with this new product family complementing itпїЅs already well known Green Plastics.
Braskem is Brazilian main producer of polyethylene and polypropylene. In addition with ongoing plants located in both petrochemical complexes, in April 2008 Braskem opened a 300,000 metric ton polypropylene plant in the city of Paulinia (Sao Paulo).
MRC