The December 2023 completion of the expansion and upgrade of the 3M Materials and Film Plants in Decatur, Alabama, enhances the plant’s workplace safety and production throughput. PENETRON ADMIX SB, a crystalline concrete waterproofing admixture, was chosen as a permanent concrete waterproofing solution.
Nicknamed "The River City", Decatur is situated in northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake and along the Tennessee River. The city has around 60,000 inhabitants and is known for several Civil War sites, historic homes, and parks.
3M, also known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational that develops and sells products for industry, worker safety, healthcare, and consumer goods. The 3M facility in Decatur was launched over 60 years ago and comprises both the Materials Plant (adhesives, curatives, fluoropolymers, primers, protective treatments, and specialty chemicals) and the Film Plant (specialty resins and specialty film). The site covers 848 acres, including more than 2.5 million square feet of workspace, and employs around 950 employees and over 400 on-site contractors.
“What started over a century ago as a small-scale mining venture in Northern Minnesota is now a globally-recognized brand known for products that are a part of everyone’s daily life,” says Christopher Chen, Director of The Penetron Group. “I doubt there’s anyone in the USA that does not recognize 3M’s most iconic products – Scotch Tape and Post-It Notes.”
The recent $9.5 million expansion of the 3M facility near the Tennessee River encompassed upgrades to facility infrastructure, safety improvements, ventilation system improvements, and process upgrades. These investments enhances the facility’s workplace safety environment and ensures the reliability of production output.
The mechanical pits in both plants are exposed to high groundwater levels from below and trade waste that can collect on the pit floor from above. The project engineers initially specified a competitive waterproofing solution to protect the concrete structures of the pits from corrosion. However, Moon Concrete Services, the project’s ready-mix concrete supplier, submitted PENETRON ADMIX SB, a crystalline waterproofing admixture, as an alternative solution.
“Once the local Penetron specialist was able to show how PENETRON ADMIX SB provided durable protection for concrete based on long-term performance in similar projects, Penetron was specified for the mechanical pits,” notes Christopher Chen.
PENETRON ADMIX SB is packaged in pre-measured soluble bags to simplify accurate batching of the concrete mix. Once exposed to moisture, the active ingredients in PENETRON ADMIX SB react to form insoluble crystals, which fill the cracks, pores, and voids in the concrete – becoming an integral part of the concrete matrix. The formation of the crystals throughout the concrete matrix prevents water to pass through the concrete mechanical pits – even under constant exposure to the hydrostatic pressure of groundwater – mitigating corrosion of the embedded reinforcing steel and resulting concrete deterioration.
“Waterproofing and protecting concrete with PENETRON ADMIX SB enhances the durability and service life of any concrete structure,” concludes Christopher Chen. “It will also minimize any future waterproofing related maintenance – and keep production at the Decatur plant humming.”
