a.b.e., part of the Chryso Southern Africa Group, is now supplying the first dustless mortars, grouts, plaster, and self-levelling cementitious products in Africa, says Ivor Boddington, a.b.e.’s Product Manager: Concrete Repair & General Construction.
Boddington says the dustless concept has – after many years of research and development – been patented by the Parex Group, a subsidiary of the Materis Group, the Chryso SA Group’s French holding company. Parex has awarded a.b.e. with the only African licence to manufacture and distribute the dustless, environmentally-friendly range of products from 2013 and a.b.e. has already started producing the dustless range at a new specially-adapted powder plant in Boksburg.
“Anyone who has ever been on a construction site or has experienced building renovations will have personal experience of the unpleasant dust caused by such operations. When cementitious powder-based products such as mortars, grouts, plaster and self-levelling screeds are poured out of bags for on-site mixing, a substantial amount of dust is inevitably generated,” Boddington explains.
“This building dust has many negative effects. It can damage expensive equipment when generated around commercial enterprises such as office blocks and shopping centres. Dusty shopping centres tend to drive consumers away. The dust is also an extreme threat to health and an irritant to the skin, eyes and respiratory tract. Constantly inhaling cement dust can impair the function of the lungs, and cause carcinoma of the lungs and digestive organs. In fact, studies have shown that cement dust can enter the body’s systemic circulation system and damage a wide range of organs.”
He says the new dustless a.b.e. products will benefit all building industry workers whose duties bring constant contact with building dust. “Concrete mixers, precast workers, readymix truck drivers, brick and block layers, plasterers, and tile layers, for example, will all feel safer – and breathe easier – in a dust-free working environment,” he states.
“The new ‘green’ a.b.e. products are dustless because of their patented formulation and as a result of the way they are processed. In the manufacture of our products at the new Boksburg powder plant, a dust suppressant is added to the raw materials in a very specific manner – with a precise dosage added at an exact time. The powder plant itself is essentially an enclosed system. The cement, aggregates and sand required for production are pumped out of the silos in dust-containing tubes, pipes, and bellows and the conveyor belt that takes the materials to the mixer is also enclosed. Extractor fans add to the factory’s dustless environment.”
Boddington says additional advantages of the new dustless cementitious products include faster cleaning time after construction or renovation projects, lower overall costs and quicker turnover time, increased visibility where work is being carried out, and a reduction in the risk of cross-contamination of products.
Mike Armstrong, a.b.e.’s GM: Technical Services, says the new dustless range will provide a.b.e. with significant advantages over competitors and conforms to the Chryso SA Group’s sustainable development programme. “This is an exciting development, long overdue in South Africa. Early market response has been overwhelmingly positive,” he adds.