MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lanxess, the specialty chemicals company, has introduced new liquid colors used for coloring the cast-in-situ concrete, which are based on the weather-stable inorganic pigments, reported the company on its site.

 

Thus, for the first time, colored concrete safety barriers are ensuring safety on German roads - and enhancing their visual appeal, too. Instead of drab gray, three sections in green, ocher, red and yellow blend perfectly into the Baden-Wuerttemberg landscape.

The K 1060 in the Boblingen region of Germany connects the town of Renningen and its industrial areas to the general road network. Part of the regional road redevelopment agreed in November 2014 required providing protective measures at various points. Tenders were invited for cast-in-situ concrete walls with the option of coloring these. 

 

The three sections of the pilot project have a total length of around half a kilometer. The area that has been integrated into a landscaped embankment to support a cycle path is colored with green Colortherm chromium oxide pigments. Orange Bayferrox iron oxide pigments were used for the opposite side of the road, with the color matched to the stone wall behind and creating a contrast to the abutment of a bridge.

 

A total of 180 cubic meters of concrete were used for the pilot project. A truck mixer load of approximately eight cubic meters was sufficient for 20 to 25 meters of concrete safety barrier. 

 

Colored exposed concrete sections made of cast-in-situ concrete create a visual impact and can separate different areas such as bus lanes, crossings and cycle paths clearly and durably, thus boosting safety. The design possibilities are virtually limitless - the environmentally safe Bayferrox and Colortherm inorganic color pigments from Lanxess are available in red, yellow, green, brown and black. A total of more than 100 different shades are available for a wide range of application areas. The pigments are cement- and alkali-resistant and completely weather- and light-stable. 

 

As MRC informed previously, in April 2014, Lanxess successfully concluded the pilot phase for a highly efficient production process for butyl rubber. In the past seven years, Lanxess worked on a fundamentally new technology for a more sustainable production. An important step in this process was the testing of the new technology in two pilot plants at its production site in Zwijndrecht/Belgium since spring 2012. The production process of butyl rubber is highly complex and requires process steps at very low temperatures and significant usage of steam. The new process technology is significantly more energy and cost efficient. 

 

Lanxess is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 8.3 billion in 2013 and roughly 17,300 employees in 31 countries. The company is currently represented at 52 production sites worldwide. The core business of Lanxess is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals.