Use of Nanoparticle Titanium Dioxide (TIO2) in Seepage Control

Abstract

Sepage hasbeen one of the major and foremost nuisance in construction industry sinceits inception. It hasdisastrous effectson structures stability, durability,and aesthetics.In Recenttimes hazardous effects of seepage on human health have also been discoveredranging from sinusitis to dyspnea.Henceseepage has emerged as a critical technologicalissuein construction industry. Major causesof pre-dominantseepage arepresence of high-watertable, poor construction practices, lack of expertise and many other reasons. The current global practices to eradicate this menace are use of chemical agents and damp-proofcourses apart from use of good construction practices. This study is therefore aneffort to control this menacebyuse of nanoparticle Titanium di oxide TiO2known for its hydrophobic qualities and its comparison with already available chemical agent PUDLO. The physical system associated with this real time problem is selection and application of three strips of plaster on a seepage affected site with different concentrations of the said nanoparticle inall strips. The nanoparticle TiO2has been used in cement paste and applied as plaster while keeping one control strip where PUDLO has been added as a seepage control agent for comparison in terms of economy and effects. Moreover, it is pertinent to mention that we have selected a sitewhich is highly effected by seepage and exposed to atmospheric agencies. The suggested procedure and itsresults will serve as guideline for cost effective control of seepage flow and further research work for optimizing the procedure.S