Specialty Chemical Solutions for Construction Industry | Stepan

Enhance Your Construction Product Offerings

Stepan has the right building blocks to help enhance the products you offer in the building and construction industry, including unstable and stable foamers to modify board core structure in gypsum wallboards, emulsifiers for concrete mold release agents, air-entrainment agents to enhance the freeze-thaw properties of concrete, and emulsifiers to produce cold- and warm-mix asphalts and slurries.

Gypsum Additives

The core structure of a gypsum board can significantly affect its properties. Achieving the desired core structure in a gypsum board depends on:

Board processing conditions
Gypsum slurry formulation
Foamer chemistry
Stucco conditions
Mixer design

Stepan’s gypsum foamer technologies offer low and high actives, high flash point choices and formaldehyde-free options. Our technologies also provide a wide range of coalescing abilities to obtain the desired bubble size (unstable and stable foamers).

Gypsum Foamers from Low to High Coalescing

STEOL® FA-403 M: Ammonium laureth sulfate
STEOL® DES-32IS: Sodium alkyl ether sulfate
ALPHA FOAMER®: Ammonium alkyl ether sulfate
CEDEPAL GFA-02M: Proprietary surfactant blend
CEDEPAL GFA-01M: Proprietary surfactant blend
CEDEPAL GFA-03M: Proprietary surfactant blend

Board manufacturers can select from our wide variety of foamers to find the optimal chemistry for a specific formulation, process condition or need.

Learn more in our Gypsum Technologies Guide.

Stepan chemistries are used in concrete admixes for a variety of applications, including air entrainment and mold release.

Air Entrainment

Excessive pressure is created within a concrete structure as water in the concrete freezes and expands. Entrained air voids (or bubbles) within the concrete provide an alternative path for the water to go, relieving stress and protecting against the damage caused by freezing. These bubbles are generated utilizing air entrainment agents (AEA) formulated into concrete admixtures.

Stepan currently manufactures the primary chemistries used in modern AEA’s:

Alpha olefin sulfonates: BIO-TERGE® AS-40 & BIO-TERGE AS-90 BEADS
Sodium lauryl ether sulfates: STEOL® CS-330 & STEOL CS-230
Sodium dodecyl sulfonate: BIO-SOFT® D-40
Diethanolamide: NINOL® 40-CO

Mold Release

Stepan’s alkoxylation product line offers ethylene oxide (EO), propylene oxide (PO) and EO/PO block copolymer options that can be used in mold release products for precast concrete applications.

Stepan chemistries that are often used as emulsifiers include:

Castor oil ethoxylates: STEPANTEX® CO-30, STEPANTEX CO-36 and STEPANTEX CO-40
Lauryl alcohol ethoxylate: BIO-SOFT EC-690
Linear alcohol ethoxylate: BIO-SOFT N91-6

The optimum product selection will depend on the type of oil-soluble material used and its concentration.

Learn more about Stepan’s nonionic product portfolio.

Asphalt Additives

Increased focus on sustainability continues to be a key driver within the asphalt market, leading to increased use of warm-mix and cold-mix asphalt products to reduce energy consumption and extend the life of the installed product. Modifying asphalt with asphalt additives allows for increased workability, reduced installation cost and longer lasting material compared to unmodified asphalt.

To help asphalt producers meet these sustainability trends, Stepan’s chemistries may be used as:

Emulsifiers (anionic and nonionic)
Anti-stripping agents
Asphalt release agents
Cutback solvents

Looking for products that aid in insulation performance?

Stepan is focused on creating products that improve foam processing and insulation performance. Learn more about the value we can bring to your end-use applications.

Learn More