A new series of five research studies have been published in refereed journals in the United Kingdom, including Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Environmental Science and Technology, and Journal of Hazardous Materials that investigates the properties of Virotec’s Bauxsol Raw Material (“BRM”) in relation to concrete, bricks and other cementitious applications

“These studies are an important addition to our understanding of the enormously important properties of our platform technology based on BRM,” said Dr Lee Fergusson, Virotec’s Chief Executive Officer. “This series of published studies advances our knowledge of what is possible in the areas of concrete, bricks manufacture, silage bins, the binding of radioactive isotopes, and other potential applications for our technology. We intend to fully explore the commercial opportunities which can be developed as a result of this new information.”

Various industrial by-products, such as fly ash, ground granulated blast-furnace slag and silica fume, have been used in concrete to improve its properties. BRM is available in large quantities throughout the world and is used commercially in the manufacture of Virotec’s 15 branded reagents for various environmental remediation applications. However, other commercial applications exist for BRM.

For example, one of the studies published in Concrete and Concrete Composites showed that the properties of concrete containing BRM indicate that BRM can be used to replace sand in cement to improve the durability properties of concrete without detrimentally affecting their physical properties. Combining these beneficial effects with environmental remediation applications, the researchers concluded that there are specific applications where concretes containing BRM could be used.

A second study published in Biosystems Engineering investigated the beneficial properties of BRM in farm production of silage as a winter-feed supplement. The bins in which silage is produced are subject to acidic and microbial attacks. Both types of attack can lead to a weakening and failure of the concretes used in the bins, especially on the outer lip of the open side of the silage pit. Consequently, the development of an acid-resistant concrete that can extend the lifespan of silage bins on farms could lead to considerable cost savings for farmers and hence can improve farm productivity. The study reports on an investigation into the behaviour of concrete containing BRM exposed to sulphuric acid in silage effluents. Results indicate that the use of BRM as a replacement material improved the behaviour of concrete in sulphuric acid in the silage effluent, providing an extended service life over conventional concretes used in silage pits.

Among the most exciting development in the light of recent events in Japan were reported in the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science investigated the reversibility of thorium (Th) binding onto BRM under different pH ranges. Natural Th232 isotopes were contacted with BRM then leached in pH-dependent studies where the pH was decreased over several hours following addition of Th232. Relative concentrations of the thorium isotope pair indicates that Th is strongly bound to BRM, and although at pH 3.0 some desorption is observed Th232 (3%) and Th229 (2.5%), released thorium is partially re-adsorbed during short-term equilibration.

“We are encouraged that researchers around the world have found our technology continues to provide valuable new research opportunities,” said Dr Fergusson. “As we have proven over the last ten years, Virotec has been extremely successful in commercializing environmental technology applications, and our track record of success in taking technologies to market will no doubt apply to this new research.”