Crystal Speed Hardening™ concept from BASF accelerates concrete hardening

* Doubles early strength
* Increases productivity and quality in concrete production
* Contributes to more sustainable construction

Zurich , Switzerland.- BASF has launched its new Crystal Speed Hardening™ concept for contractors and precast producers. The core product of the concept is X-SEED ® 100, a unique hardening accelerator. It helps to speed up concrete hardening significantly at early ages (6-12 hours), supporting at least double strength at low, ambient and heat curing temperatures.

In contrast to traditional acceleration methods such as heat application or normal accelerators, X-SEED ® 100 does not interfere adversely with the final engineering properties of the concrete. In addition, it helps to save time and has a positive impact on energy efficiency, offering an attractive overall cost saving potential. “With our new Crystal Speed Hardening concept, BASF supports the concrete industry’s need for more sustainable production,” said Dr Uwe Holland, Head of Marketing Admixture Systems Europe.

X-SEED 100 consists of synthetically produced crystal seeds in liquid form, which boost the hardening properties of the concrete mix. It improves the quality of the hardened cement paste and provides durability benefits. “Our new concept exceeds and strengthens all existing solutions for the key industry needs and is fully compatible with established BASF admixture technologies such as the Zero Energy System ™ using Glenium ® ACE and Smart Dynamic Concrete ™ with RheoMATRIX ® ,” added Dr Michael Kompatscher, Segment Manager Precast/MCP.

A video illustrating the properties of the new accelerator is available at http://www.construction-chemicals.basf.com/x-seed .