Sulfur concrete
Encyclopedia
Sulfur concrete is a composite
construction material, composed of sulfur, aggregate
(generally a coarse aggregate made of gravel or crushed rocks and a fine aggregate such as sand
).
Cement (commonly Portland cement
) and water
important compounds in normal concrete are not part of sulfur concrete. The concrete is heated above the melting point of sulfur ca. 140°C. After cooling the concrete reaches a high strength, not needing a prolonged curing like normal concrete. Sulfur concrete is resistant to some compounds like acids which attack normal concrete. Sulfur concrete was developed and promoted as building material to get rid of large amounts of stored sulfur produced by hydrodesulfurization
of gas and oil. Sulfur concrete is also a possible building material for a lunar base. Up to 2011 Sulfur concrete is only used in small quantities when fast curing or acid resistance is necesarry.
Composite material
Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...
construction material, composed of sulfur, aggregate
Construction Aggregate
Construction aggregate, or simply "aggregate", is a broad category of coarse particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most mined material in the world...
(generally a coarse aggregate made of gravel or crushed rocks and a fine aggregate such as sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
).
Cement (commonly Portland cement
Portland cement
Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world because it is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco and most non-specialty grout...
) and water
Water (properties)
Water is the most abundant compound on Earth's surface, covering about 70%. In nature, it exists in liquid, solid, and gaseous states. It is in dynamic equilibrium between the liquid and gas states at standard temperature and pressure. At room temperature, it is a tasteless and odorless liquid,...
important compounds in normal concrete are not part of sulfur concrete. The concrete is heated above the melting point of sulfur ca. 140°C. After cooling the concrete reaches a high strength, not needing a prolonged curing like normal concrete. Sulfur concrete is resistant to some compounds like acids which attack normal concrete. Sulfur concrete was developed and promoted as building material to get rid of large amounts of stored sulfur produced by hydrodesulfurization
Hydrodesulfurization
Hydrodesulfurization is a catalytic chemical process widely used to remove sulfur from natural gas and from refined petroleum products such as gasoline or petrol, jet fuel, kerosene, diesel fuel, and fuel oils...
of gas and oil. Sulfur concrete is also a possible building material for a lunar base. Up to 2011 Sulfur concrete is only used in small quantities when fast curing or acid resistance is necesarry.