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History of Magnesium Cements

The history of magnesium cements goes back millenia, magnesium phosphate cements made from animal faeces or fermented plant material and magnesia were used in the great wall and in many early buildings around the world. It is also likely that magnesium sulfate or chloride type cements were used before their western invention by Stanislaus Sorel [1].
The oldest cement are probably magnesium phosphate type wherein insoluble magnesium phosphates are formed from a mixture of a soluble phosphate and magnesium oxide. The early magnesium cements were made with soluble phosphate from animal faeces or fermented plants and magnesia and optionally clays. “These natural cements bind naturally and exceptionally well to all things cellulose (i.e. plant fibers, wood chip, etc.) and are often referred to as “living cements.”

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Expert advises builders to mix magnesium sulphate with concrete

Lagos – An environmentalist,  Mr Taiwo Adewole,  has advised operators in the construction industry to always add magnesium sulphate when moulding concrete.
Adewole on Wednesday in Lagos said that concrete mixed with magnesium sulphate was capable absorbing carbon dioxide from the air.
According to him, the conventional concrete mix is no longer desirable because it emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere rather than absorb it.
Adewole, who is a member of the U.S.Green Building Council, said that the conventional concrete mix was not environmentally friendly.
“Conventional concrete, in its traditional form, is made from cement and some aggregates such as gravel, limestone or granite and some finer particles such as sand or fly ash.
“The new version of concrete uses different raw materials and magnesium sulphate, which requires less heating, which in turns help to absorb carbon dioxide,” he said.
Adewole said that the conventional concrete mix was “huge source of carbon emissions into the atmosphere”.
“It is said that concrete is responsible for up to five per cent of the world’s total amount of carbon emissions.
“Carbon emission is created when moulding a concrete because cement is burnt at high temperature.
“This high level of carbon emission from concrete is a contributor to the greenhouse gases which is the major agent of climate change and ozone layer depletion,” he said.
The environmentalist said that the latest technology in the construction sector had just been developed by a British scientist and advised Nigerians to be ready to adopt the new technology.
He said that the new technology was good, particularly in the construction of green buildings.
“This is a real positive development for an industry which has been guilty of carbon emissions through building operations,” he said. (NAN)

Source: vanguardngr.com