Nominee
Master Builders Solutions
Category
Innovative Company
Description
Master Builders Solutions, a leader in the concrete construction industry has been producing innovative concrete admixtures and solutions that contribute to the sustainability of concrete for over 110 years.
Our innovations started back in the 1930s with the introduction of MasterPozzolith®, the first water-reducing admixture that conserved water, reduced the amount of cement and the amount of CO2 in the concrete mixture.
Sustainability innovations continued through the 90’s and 2000’s with Green Sense® Concrete, which was utilized in 2006 with the construction of the One World Trade Center in NYC. Master Builders Solutions pioneered the concept of high performance sustainable concrete mixture optimization, creating concrete mixes with a 70+% reduction in CO2 when compared to a standard cementitious reference mix, while still keeping the concrete workable and pumpable to the top of the One World Trade Center.
The latest innovations from Master Builders Solutions include Master X-Seed® and MasterSuna® RCT 323 admixtures.
Master X-Seed® is a patented strength-enhancing admixture that improves cement hydration. Concrete containing Master X-Seed admixtures provides concrete producers with the option of either reducing the total cementitious materials (CM) content of the concrete mixture or increasing the replacement level of portland cement with a supplementary cementitious material (SCM), while maintaining or enhancing early and late-age strength development. The reduction in cement due to the addition of Master X-Seed allows for a reduction in CO2 associated with the concrete mix upwards of 20%.
MasterSuna® RCT 323 is an innovative admixture for returned concrete treatment that allows the returned concrete to be diverted from the waste stream. This engineered powdered polymer is dispensed in pods that can be thrown into the ready mix truck to gel the fresh concrete, resulting in very rapid stiffening and minimized cement hydration and strength development The resulting concrete material can then be broken up and used as a recycled aggregate or as road-base/backfill material.
The innovations in sustainable solutions extends throughout the Master Builders Solutions admixture portfolio with a complete range of concrete admixtures and fibers, designed to enhance the durability and increase the service life of concrete.
Evidence
Regarding Green Sense® Concrete the construction of One world Trade Center in NYC (see attachment: mbs-wtc-project -profile - Image 1):
Engineering Requirements:
Compressive strength: 12,000 psi (83 MPa) @ 56 days, Over-design for safety: 1,900 psi (13 MPa), Modulus of elasticity: 7.0 million psi (48 GPa), Heat of hydration: Not to exceed 160 °F (70 °C), Non-air-entrained
Contractor Requirements:
Slump flow: 24 - 28 inches (610 - 710 mm), Ability to pump to at least 40 floors, No loss in concrete workability during transit and placement, Aesthetically pleasing
Owner (Port Authority of New York/New Jersey) Requirements:
Quantity of portland cement in the mixture: Less than 400 lb/yd3 (240 kg/m3) Low CO2 design
The Results: Through Master Builders Solutions‘ Green Sense Concrete mixture optimization service, a concrete mixture with 71%
cement replacement was developed. The mixture replaced portland cement with the recycled materials, non-cementitious fillers
and specialized admixtures to exceed all the performance targets specified by the One World Trade Center project stakeholders.
The Benefits: To quantify the environmental impact of sustainable concrete for the structure, an Eco-Efficiency Analysis was conducted, using a methodology validated by NSF International, to compare the specialized mixture to a reference mixture. The results of this cradle-to-gate analysis are included in Chart 1, below:
Chart 1. Environmental Impact Category Benefits:
Energy usage = 25,400,000 kWh (91,440,000 MJ)
Greenhouse gas emissions = 34,800,000 lb CO2eq (15,785,000 kg)
Water emissions = 5,247,000 gal (19,862,000 L)
Solid waste = 1,720,000 lb (780,178 kg)
Note: Based on 145,000 yd3 (110,900 m3) of concrete developed for six compressive strengths.
This project won the GreenSite Project of the Year for 2010 (Image 2)
Regarding Master X-Seed: This patented strength-enhancing admixture improves cement hydration through the use of synthetically-produced crystalline calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) nanoparticles. These nanoparticles facilitate the growth of CSH crystals between cement grains and improve overall hydration of portland cement (see Image 3), thereby increasing early- and late-age strength development.
Image 4: Enhancement in compressive strength from the addition of Master X-Seed Admixture.
Image 5: Master X-Seed technology is capable of reducing embodied carbon in concrete mixtures up to 20 %.
Image 6: Ontario Concrete Award 2019 - Pier 27
Images (click to expand)
