Potential for producing concrete blocks using sulphur polymeric concrete in Kuwait

Abstract

The current sulphur production in Kuwait is 0.9 million tons/y, of which 0.5 million tons is consumed locally, mainly for the sulphuric acid production. Continuous increase in production is expected as it will reach 3.1 million tons by 2017, which would stipulate the need for its applications in different fields.The development of new applications for sulphur becomes fundamental. Sulphur concrete (SC) has a relatively simple composition and manufacture and very interesting characteristics and properties. SC materials have many specialized applications in the construction industry and transportation. Currently, they are used primarily in areas where conventional materials like Portland cement concrete (PCC) has failed, such as in acidic and saline chemical environments.This paper gives some highlights of the experiments at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) laboratory facilities. The project’s research work was carried out by finding and defining a set of mixture proportions or recipes for modified sulphur concrete (SC) that were most promising based on the test results with the emulsified bitumen additive and the different ingredients. These optimum mixes were used to produce small scale precast sulphur concrete units.