Environmentally sound concrete release agents

The construction industry contributes to the increase in the levels of pollution of the environment in several ways. The total emissions of volatile organic compounds in Europe alone due to concrete release agents may be up to 30 000 tons annually. Most of these products are mineral-oil-based, non-biodegradable and toxic to humans, air, water and soil. Just as in other industries, the enforcement of environmentally minded laws will force the building industry to change its habits. Vegetable-oil-based release agents present a good alternative to the present situation, with advantages in terms of working conditions, environmental control, economy and technical production performance, which will be described in this paper. A project funded by the European Union aimed at promoting the use of these alternative products has been launched. Some tests have been performed within this project to evaluate the technical performance of this type of release agent and are described here.