Master Builders, Inc. has commissioned a polymer synthesis plant in Greensboro, N.C., making it the only North American admixture company with domestic production of polycarboxylate polymers. Polycarboxylate-based chemistries are used in the production of a variety of specialty, value-added chemical admixtures, including third generation superplasticizers used in self consolidating concrete mixes.

The polymers impart performance properties such as increased cement particle dispersion, enabling drastically reduced water requirements while maintaining mixes' slump life. “Essentially, concrete produced with polycarboxylate-based admixtures is easier to place and finish, and exhibits superior early and late age strengths,” says Master Builders Vice President of Research and Development. “These polymers are a critical element in the production of admixtures used in self-consolidating concrete, one of the fastest growing technology areas in concrete practice.”

The polymer synthesis plant is part of a larger manufacturing site owned and operated by Stockhausen Inc., which along with Master Builders is a subsidiary of Degussa Co. “Through cooperative efforts with Degussa Construction Chemicals specifically,” notes Secre, “we've been able find solutions to challenges in the construction industry using chemical synthesis and new molecules researched and developed throughout the world.”