Zuari Cement Introduces Sustainable Products in India

The commitment to Sustainable Development is a feature of the operations of the Italcementi Group. Alongside the production of cement which is of increasingly high performance from a structural point of view, the group entered into a new sector of special cement products aimed at providing a genuine industrialized solution to the problem of pollution in cities. These new revolutionary products reduce air pollution and initiates self-cleaning effect in a building.

Recently, these products are launched in India, and marketed and distributed in the country by Zuari Cement, part of the Italcementi Group. Products that are available in India are TX Aria-Architectural Line and TX Aria-Environmental Line.

TX Active® is a photocatalytic principle for cement products which can reduce organic and inorganic pollutants present in the air. Its effectiveness has been thoroughly tested and thus certified by important independent research centers (CNR, ARPA, Ispra Research Center). Its formulation is the result of 10 years of research, tests and applications carried out by CTG, Group Technical Centre, a company in the Italcementi Group which has led to the final formulation of the active principle. Italcementi will make this material available to the whole construction sector which will thus be able to offer products with high quality standards under the TX Active® brand.

In a large cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai, researchers have calculated - on the basis of test results – that covering 15% of visible urban surfaces with products containing TX Active® would enable a reduction in pollution of approximately 50%.

TX Arca cement is specifically designed for the construction of prestigious architectural works. The aesthetic qualities of the final concrete elements, regardless of whether they are prefabricated or cast on site, are enhanced and remain in excellent condition for years. The decomposition of micro-organisms responsible for dirtying facades, (among these are particulate matter, polycondensed aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and sulfur monoxide which in urban settings are mainly emitted from cars and air heating units) ensures that surfaces remain clean and that are brilliance typical of cements in the TX range stays unchanged. In addition to ensuring the same physical and mechanical properties as those of traditional concrete, white concrete obtained with TX Arca cement exhibits extraordinary brilliance and self-cleaning properties so that original beauty is retained for years.

TX Aria is the specific binder for paints, mortars and moothing materials, plasters & renders, concrete for photoactive building elements, capable of abating the noxious substances produced by human activities (industry, transport and residential heating systems). TX Aria stands out as an innovative tool to actively fight the accumulation of substances known for causing smog. TX Aria are used for Horizontal structures, Vertical structures and Tunnels.

Case Studies-The self-cleaning action of photocatalytic cements
The American architect Richard Meier, winner of an international competition promoted by the Vicariate of Rome, designed the Dives in Misericordia Church, located in Tor Tre Teste, Rome. The church's three impressively and totally white sails, the tallest of which stands at 26m, now soar over this low-key, isolated suburb of 10-story apartment blocks, which was lacking in both recognizable focal points and community spaces.

In order to avoid using a steel framework covered with white concrete panels-a solution that would not have endured the test of time-the self-bearing sails were subdivided into large, precast blocks with double curvature, weighing 12 tons each.

As the main technical sponsor, Italcementi had been following the progress of this project closely by providing assistance with construction techniques and developing a type of concrete, which in addition to being highly strong and durable, would ensure unparalleled and time-enduring white to the built elements thanks to the self-cleaning properties of the final surfaces. This was the first application of the photo- catalytic principle called TX Active®.

The Dives in Misericordia church in Rome, the new headquarters of Air France at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, the Cité de la Musique et des Beaux-Arts in Chambéry, the Hôtel de Police in Bordeaux, the Saint John's Court Montecarlo Bay residence in the Principality of Monaco are among the first application of  the  photocatalytic principle Tx Active.