Posted by Elisabeth Casas Bolivar - 25 January, 2019
Leakage in a wastewater basin? Completely unacceptable for a wastewater-treatment facility, of course. Thus, time was of the essence in addressing the refurbishment of a thickening tank at a paper factory in Ružomberok, naturally without any compromises in terms of quality or durability. To minimize the risk of longer downtimes or potential rework, those in charge opted for the unique MasterSeal 7000 CR concrete protection and waterproofing solution.
At its plant in Ružomberok, a small town in northern Slovakia, Mondi SCP mostly produces kraft papers for use in packaging solutions as well as a variety of office and printing papers. Mondi, an international paper and cellulose producer, has been operating the plant since the turn of the millennium.
Paper needs water
Next to the raw material wood, paper production predominantly requires large amounts of water, which, at the end of the production process, usually contains specialized chemicals and paper fibers. Thus, before feeding such water back into the production process or re-introducing it to the water cycle, it is passed through the company’s own on-site wastewater treatment facility. Such a facility, of course, has to be completely waterproof – any uncontrolled discharge into the environment is the last thing anyone wants.
Focus on sustainability
Even more so as Mondi is highly committed to sustainability: This includes comprehensive FSC certification for all the forests the company is responsible for – their own, as well as the forests leased or managed by the company. Mondi also is an underwriter of the “Global Compact” UN Initiative on human rights, labor standards and the fight against corruption, and, as a member of the WWF “Climate Savers”, the company has reduced its CO2 emissions by 38 percent between 2004 and 2007. In a similar vein, Mondi has also been constantly listed in the ethical/ecological-focused FTSE4Good Index in addition to the more traditional dual listing at the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges.
A fast and reliable solution
Thus, when an instance of severe leakage was detected at the Ružomberok facility, a quick as well as reliable and durable solution was needed, and preferably from a single source. And this is exactly the kind of solution offered by the experts from Master Builders Solutions. At the core of the solution package: MasterSeal 7000 CR – an innovative concrete-waterproofing and protection membrane geared, among other applications, to the extreme adverse impact in wastewater-treatment facilities.
A unique combination of highly diverse properties
MasterSeal 7000 CR is based on the novel XolutecTM technology developed by Master Builders Solutions and combines a unique set of properties that, until now, were all but mutually exclusive – e.g. on the one hand, the resistance to the adverse chemical environment in wastewater-treatment systems and, on the other, highly effective crack-bridging properties.
The unique MasterSeal 7000 CR product features:
Straightforward application even in demanding environments
Another key benefit of MasterSeal 7000 CR is its convenient, straightforward application: The product can be roller or spray applied and, importantly, also onto moist substrates. In addition, MasterSeal 7000 CR sets and hardens very quickly – even at low temperatures which normally impede the hardening process of construction materials. This makes MasterSeal 7000 CR extremely suitable for use in projects where time is of the essence, which includes virtually all water and wastewater projects. As an additional benefit, the two different colors of the topcoat of the MasterSeal 7000 CR system permit easy monitoring of product functionality: If the color of the first layer begins to shine through, it is time to re-do the topcoat.
Long-term, sustainable protection
Independent assessment has confirmed the long-term waterproofing and protection functionality of MasterSeal 7000 CR, even in presence of aggressive chemicals. MasterSeal 7000 CR is exposed to different media during 28 days and in presence of pressure, to increase the effect of the chemical attack. The positive results to a large group of media confirm the ability of this innovative system to significantly extend the life-cycle of concrete exposed to wastewater systems. How? By avoiding any aggressive media to damage the concrete structure; saving resources, energy and costs otherwise incurred for maintenance or replacement – which makes MasterSeal 7000 CR a truly sustainable solution.
For more information click here or check out our blog about biogas and methane containment!
