Greening the construction industry: enhancing the performance of cements by adding bioglycerol

The addition of glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel manufacturing, to cement eases its grinding and handling while considerably enhancing the strength of the resulting concrete. The benefits of using bioglycerol are significant both for the environment and for the concrete and biodiesel industries. The advantages for industry derive from having a single, readily available material that offers all three major technical improvements required of cement additives, namely enhanced concrete strength, and grinding and handling aids for cement, while the environmental impact is eased by using bioglycerol instead of ethylene glycol and hydroxyamines that are presently used as major components of cement additives.