Sulfur Polymer Concrete for Special-Purpose Applications

Special-purpose sulfur concrete construction materials, based on sulfur polymer cement (SPC) and mineral aggregate, have been developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines as part of a program to utilize domestic mineral resources. Program goals are to develop durable, chemically resistant construction materials to increase productivity in the chemical, fertilizer, and metallurgical industries by lowering maintenance costs for labor, energy, equipment, and material. This paper describes the research related to development of SPC, the sulfur polymer concrete (SC), and the industrial testing, together with the development of commercial-scale equipment and a brief overview of some recent special-purpose applications. Commercial-scale equipment has been developed and utilized for large-scale construction applications. State-of-the-art production and construction techniques are described. Currently, SC materials are showing superior performance characteristics, compared to portland cement concrete (PCC) in general industrial applications, and are demonstrating versatilty for use in many other special-purpose construction applications.