Kenrich Petrochemicals has developed a material that can combine plastics with cement.
The new grade of Ken-React-brand coupling agent allows water-based cement and concrete to be compatibilized with oil-based polymers such as epoxy, according to officials with Bayonne, N.J.-based Kenrich.
The new material can reduce the water to cement ratio by 31 percent, Kenrich CEO Salvatore Monte said in an email. Monte has filed for a patent on the material, and Kenrich is looking to license the technology.
"I can improve the reaction so that you make usable structures," Monte said. "That's the long-term goal of the patent — to make structures that are stronger, don't age … and make polymer concrete more effective."
Kenrich, founded in 1945, makes coupling and catalyzing agents, anti-static agents, plasticizers and other products. Monte joined Kenrich in 1966 and first invented the Ken-React product line in 1973.
