Waterproofing of Reinforced Concrete Water Tanks and Food Facilities

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has issued a decision requiring dairy, cheese and yogurt producers to prevent their waste from being released into the environment and instead dispose of it after treatment at wastewater treatment facilities. Following this decision, milk and dairy product manufacturers have begun constructing treatment plants. Milk, yogurt, cheese, cream and similar production facilities must dispose of their waste in a controlled manner. The lactic acid content in milk and yogurt is in the region of 90%. Over time, concrete and steel become damaged. The following applications were implemented at a treatment facility.

Cement and Concrete

To prevent milk and yogurt from damaging concrete, the cement used in the concrete was selected as Sulfate-Resistant Cement (SRC) and the structural concrete as C 35. Type V cement, as it is called, differs from other cement types in that its C3A (tricalcium aluminate) content is below 5%. Foundation Waterproofing on Surfaces in Contact with Soil. After applying a bitumen-based Emülzer Isola primer over the lean concrete base, a 3 mm thick Emülzer Bituminous Membrane was applied in 2 coats. Subsequently, protective concrete was poured over it. Water-expanding Emülzer Swellflex tape was applied to all concrete joints subject to horizontal and vertical movement in the structural concrete. Screen Waterproofing on Surfaces in Contact with Soil. After the reinforcing bars on the outer surfaces of the reinforced concrete screen were conically cut, they were filled with Emülzer EM 80T structural, thick repair mortar. All corners were chamfered with the same repair mortar. A single-component, bitumen-based Isola primer was first applied to the outer surface. Two coats of Elastokote 2K were then applied over it. Elastokote 2K is bitumen-cement based and reinforced with special polymer and fibre. A 50 gr/m2 mesh was added over the first coat before it cured. On the following day, the second coat of Elastokote 2K was applied.

Waterproofing Inside the Treatment Facility

Plaster, ceramics and similar materials were not applied over the reinforced concrete. After repairs and surface cleaning on the concrete, two-component water-based Emülzer Epoxy WB was applied by roller as a primer. After Epoxy WB cured, on the following day, Emülzer Su Yalıtım 120/70 Tape was bonded with Emülzer Permo Chim SDH to all tie holes and horizontal and vertical corner joints. After bonding the tape with cement-acrylic based, two-component Permo Chim SDH was completed, the first coat of Emülzer PU Coat II was applied to the surface. While PU Coat II was fresh, 50-65 gr/m2 waterproofing mesh was bonded to the surface. The mesh overlaps at joints were connected by 5-10 cm. PU Coat II is a two-component, polyurethane-based, elastic waterproofing material. It has TSE and CE test reports regarding suitability for contact with drinking water. On the following day, the second coat of PU Coat II was applied. In this way, the mesh application was not visible on the surface. After ceiling and screen waterproofing, work proceeded to the floor. However, the concrete surface on the floor was not even and had undulations. For this reason, specially graded dry sand of about 50% was added to the first coat of PU Coat II, and the surface was levelled.Similar application was also carried out in water tanks.       Cem Ercan Civil Engineer Project and Technical Sales Director / Emülzer Asfaltevi Tecrit Maddeleri San. ve Tic. Ltd. Şti.