Consumo de água na produção de concreto usinado: quantificação e principais fatores de influência

Abstract

One of the most used materials for civil construction is concrete. Concrete is a composite material composed of cement, fine and coarse aggregates, and water. According to the needs of each project, it happens the use of additives. The water has the function of hydrating cement, thus conferring the characteristics of strength and durability of the concrete, in addition to contributing to its workability. The consumption of mixing water depends on the quantity of each other element in concrete. The present work carried out surveys in three concrete plants located in the State of Rio Grande do Sul regarding the consumption of water for making concrete. It also sought to learn more about environmental management and management practices, as well as to find out which raw materials the dosing plants use to produce the concrete delivered to customers. The present work was field research that got to know the practices and elements that each concrete batching plant uses in its production. Based on the differences and similarities between the batching plants, it was possible to discover which are the main factors of influence on the water consumption of the concrete. Because they had different characteristics, the research does not intend to be a comparative analysis. Thus, from the data obtained with the research tools, which were the compliance questionnaires and the survey of the water consumption of the batching plants in the first semester of 2019, it is possible to assess that the main influencing factors of water consumption in the production of ready mixed concrete are the types of fine aggregates used, and the choice of plasticizer and superplasticizer admixtures used to enhance workability of the mixture, facilitating its mixing and casting without the need for a larger consumption of water in concrete mix design.