'These post-treatment products for concrete are not harmful to humans and the environment'

Most common concrete finishing products are bad for the environment and use fossil resources or contain solvents. New Generation Construction Materials (NGCM) developed a range of finishing products based on natural, renewable matter. Delft Green^®, an invention of TU Delft, is a completely environmentally friendly product, harmless to humans and nature, which has since served as the basis for several concrete improvement products from the Nieuwkuijk-based firm: Curing Compound, Secure & Improve, Protector and InterMezzo.

NGCM provides products that provide a protective layer during the concrete's hydration period. Delft Green^® Curing Compound and Delft Green^® Secure & Improve are applied immediately after levelling and form a temporary sheet on the concrete. After 24 hours, a floor can be walked on again and the post-treatment ensures optimal hydration of the concrete. As a result, users receive a high-quality concrete floor. The quality of a concrete structure is a combination of the concrete used, the processing and the post-treatment. Saving one euro on the first two components gives 5 times the cost of the original product, and cutting back on post-treatment increases the cost by a factor of 25.

"Most concrete finishing products are bad for the environment, but we wanted to develop a product that is not at all harmful to people and nature. In our search for suitable raw materials, we came into contact with TU Delft, which, with Delft Green^® had invented a product made from pure, natural ingredients," explained Gerda van Loon of NGCM. "Thus, we can now offer a range of environmentally friendly products composed of ingredients such as clay, alginate (seaweed extract) and water. With our products Curing Compound, Secure & Improve, Protector and InterMezzo, construction workers can refinish concrete floors without protective clothing and face protection."

Delft Green^® Curing Compound and InterMezzo 

With Delft Green^® Curing Compound offers NGCM a 100% biologically compatible Curing, which is used to provide optimal and controlled hydration of cementitious products, concrete surfaces and concrete repairs. It keeps concrete from dusting and visibly reducing cracking or cracking. It forms a sheet and first becomes dull and yellow/brown until after a short time it detaches from the concrete and creates a beautiful concrete surface. "In the phase between pouring and finishing, the concrete is unprotected, which can lead to damage, for example in hot weather or drafts," Van Loon adds. "With Delft Green^® InterMezzo we offer a product that prevents moisture loss during that period. Thus, you reduce the possibility of the formation of so-called plastic shrinkage cracks and pouring can still take place regardless of the weather. For example, we have an application where the contractor poured concrete treated with InterMezzo at a temperature of 33°C and a wind speed of 4 Beaufort and then finished it with Curing Compound. The result was flawless, as the concrete hardly showed any cracks."

Own spraying system

NGCM delivers its products in canisters to the construction site and keeps track of usage so that everything can be done in compliance with regulations. In addition, the canisters are collected and reused, reducing CO₂ footprint becomes smaller. "To apply similar products, people still often use the familiar back sprayer. With larger surfaces this can cause problems. The longer one walks around with that sprayer including liquid weighing 25 to 30 kg, fatigue sets in and it becomes increasingly difficult to spray the product evenly," Van Loon concludes. "We therefore developed a mobile solution with an electric pump system. The user thus walks the entire surface and the system ensures that the same amount of product is applied to each m². Since the spray system is close to soil, less product is also lost. Thus, the product ends up where it is needed and does not blend into the environment."