Experts and engineers from the Dong Thap Housing and Industrial Zone Development Investment Company (Hidico Dong Thap) have successfully researched and invented a new technology for producing buoyant lightweight concrete products.
The product “Buoyant Lightweight Concrete” received the Golden Star Award in Vietnam in 2005, the Golden Cup for Construction Brand in 2005, and the Gold Medal for Product Quality in 2005. Using self-created mechanical equipment at Hidico Dong Thap, the buoyant lightweight concrete is produced from readily available materials in Vietnam such as Portland cement, sand, water, and agricultural waste (coconut fiber, straw), as well as materials from the handicraft industry (ceramics, porcelain). Currently, the Hidico lightweight concrete factory in Sa Dec Industrial Zone, Dong Thap Province, is producing two products: BTN T1 and BTN T2. Mr. Nguyen Tan Ngan, Director of Hidico Dong Thap, stated that the production technology of buoyant lightweight concrete is not only new in Vietnam but also innovative globally, having been granted patent number 2235082 by the Russian Federation on August 27, 2004, and is protected worldwide. This product can replace traditional fired bricks, standard concrete, and materials used for walls, partitions, and conventional flooring in the construction of both high-rise and low-rise buildings across all provinces and cities in Vietnam.
As the buoyant lightweight concrete is both a new technology and a new product, making its debut in Vietnam, Hidico Dong Thap, in collaboration with the Institute of Construction Materials under the Ministry of Construction, has drafted two new standards submitted to the Ministry: TCXD Vietnam 316 2004 and TCXD Vietnam 317 2004, titled “Technical Requirements for Lightweight Concrete Blocks” and “Testing Methods for Lightweight Concrete Blocks.” On June 10, 2004, the Ministry of Construction issued a decision to enact these new standards.
According to evaluations by experts at the Institute of Construction Materials, the buoyant lightweight concrete products offer substantial socio-economic benefits: BTN T1 and BTN T2 can fully replace traditional building materials such as fired bricks, standard concrete, bamboo, and wood, without reducing arable land area as traditional fired brick production does, and it cleans up the environment by utilizing waste from agricultural and industrial production.
The buoyant lightweight concrete production technology is highly mechanized, thus increasing labor productivity by 20 times compared to traditional fired brick production using tunnel kilns. Buoyant lightweight concrete has been recognized as an advanced building material, being lightweight—only half the weight of fired bricks and one-third that of standard concrete—durable over time, resilient under all weather conditions, and environmentally friendly with a cost-effective price suitable for the majority of the population. This product is not only suitable for construction on weak soil foundations but also ideal for high-rise and low-rise buildings in Vietnam.
Notably, the technology for producing buoyant lightweight concrete provides significant economic benefits to society. Compared to a tunnel brick factory of the same capacity, a buoyant lightweight concrete factory can reduce investment costs by 75%, decrease the land area required for production by 80%, and cut energy consumption for production by 99%.
For construction investors, using buoyant lightweight concrete products will reduce total load transmitted to the foundation by 30%, leading to lower foundation reinforcement costs, and saving energy for air conditioning in homes and industrial buildings, as BTN T1 and BTN T2 provide better sound and thermal insulation than fired bricks and standard concrete. Utilizing BTN products can decrease construction costs by 5-7% for buildings of 3-5 stories and more than 7% for buildings of 6 stories and above.
For contractors replacing fired bricks with lightweight concrete, they can reduce mortar usage by 70%, increase labor productivity among bricklayers by 150%, and lower transportation costs by 50% compared to fired bricks, with transportation costs only 70% of that for standard concrete.
Thanks to its high economic efficiency, this product has been in existence for just under two years yet has already been used in the construction of nine large projects in the Mekong Delta and many housing areas for flood-affected populations. Currently, the selling price at the factory in Sa Dec Industrial Zone, Dong Thap ranges from 600,000 to 1,000,000 VND per cubic meter, depending on the features and technical requirements of the project.
