BASF introduces MasterEase admixture to help concrete work easier in Nha Trang

Nha Trang has long been established as Vietnam’s major tourist attractions with total visitors in 2017 of 5.4 million, a 20 per cent increase versus prior year and target in 2018 of 6.5 million visitors, according to the Khanh Hoa Department of Tourism, making it one of the fastest growing regions in Vietnam.

The flourishing tourism industry therefore increasingly requires more supply of infrastructure and high rise buildings.

Arnold De Silva, head of Construction Chemicals, ASEAN, said, "With MasterEase, one of our most advanced and globally endorsed products, BASF can help to support the rapidly growing construction industry with more sustainable concrete production."

The new technology improves the rheological properties of concrete and reduces the concrete viscosity by up to 30 per cent. It significantly facilitates concrete pumping, placing and finishing that help to realize time and cost saving in every construction project.

It further enables concrete mixes with reduced CO2 footprint which are otherwise often difficult to process. For example, high-strength concrete with low water/cement ratios, and mixes with higher levels of secondary cementitious materials (SCMs) to reduce the CO2 footprint.

As innovation is an important driver for long-term growth, BASF collaborates with the customers to continuously work on new products and solutions as well as innovative technologies. BASF is offering MasterEase in Nha Trang to support the customers in overcoming construction challenges and to successfully realise their projects.

Today, modern concrete mixes are often optimised for sustainability. To this end, a significant amount of cement is frequently exchanged for alternative materials like fly ash or blast furnace slag. In comparison to conventional mixes, this often leads to a rigid concrete mix with poor workability. As a result, there will be significant problems when pumping and placing the concrete on site.

Suitable sand is also in short supply in many countries. For environmental reasons, there are more and more restrictions on new approvals for the extraction of natural sand resources. The remaining sand often leads to concrete that is quite challenging in terms of its rheological properties.

All these problems can be reduced with MasterEase as this admixture enables a higher usage of manufactured sand, therefore increasing the use of SCMs which results in lowered environmental impact.

Benefits for users in Nha Trang and Vietnam

Concrete producers and users will benefit in many ways from the new technology, which is flexible and can be adapted to challenging situations such as temperature and material variations. It is particularly suitable for concrete mixes which are designed and optimised for advanced engineering properties and sustainability.

One of the major projects in Vietnam where MasterEase has been involved is Landmark 81, a 461-metre skyscraper which set to be the tallest building in Vietnam upon completion in 2018. The construction adopted a sustainable concrete mix design with considerable use of fly ash and slag while maintaining the desired workability and high strength.

As a result, substantial savings in concrete material costs and lowered environmental impact. Through this massive project, MasterEase has proven its outstanding performance while contributing to sustainable construction in Vietnam.

Other notable projects in Vietnam using MasterEase include the Cocobay Resort in Danang as well as Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway and upcoming Hilton Hotel Tower Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City.

BASF’s Construction Chemicals division offers advanced chemical solutions under the global umbrella brand Master Builders Solutions for the construction, maintenance, repair and renovation of structures. The brand is built on more than 100 years of experience in the construction industry.

BASF has been active in Vietnam since the establishment of its representative office in 1994. BASF Vietnam Limited was set up in 2009. The company has two production sites for construction chemicals, located at Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park, Binh Duong province and Van Trung Industrial Park, Bac Giang province.

BASF Vietnam also maintains three sales offices in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Danang. It provides a wide range of products, including plastics, petrochemicals, construction chemicals, fine chemicals, performance chemicals, paper chemicals, crop protection, etc. BASF sales to customers in Vietnam were approximately 328 million euros in 2017. BASF employed 161 people in Vietnam as of the end of 2017.

Further information on BASF in Vietnam is available at www.basf.com/vn.