The new Brotas Reservoir in Salvador BA, Brazil was completed in late 2020. Both PENETRON and PENETRON ADMIX were specified to ensure a durable and completely non-toxic concrete waterproofing solution to ensure safe drinking water for the city.
Brotas is a neighborhood of Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia and the largest city in northeastern Brazil – with about three million inhabitants. The neighborhood’s new drinking water reservoir was financed and commissioned by EMBASA, the Bahia state company charged with ensuring a constant supply of drinking water for the state.
During the planning stage of the Brotas Reservoir project, the architects at ARC Laranjeiras Architects contacted Penetron Brazil for a durable concrete waterproofing solution for the foundation slab and walls of the 8,700 m3 reservoir that was also safe for use in potable water applications.
Approved for Potable Water Applications
“All Penetron crystalline products meet the fundamental requirements for potable water applications – they are completely non-toxic and contain no VOCs," explains Cláudio Neves Ourives, Executive Director of Penetron Brazil. “Our crystalline materials have been tested and certified for potable water applications in Brazil, which are equivalent to USA’s NSF-61 certification standards.”
CCP, the project’s general contractor, topically applied a layer of PENETRON, as a slurry, to waterproof the foundation slab. The reservoir’s walls were constructed with PENETRON ADMIX-treated concrete and PENEBAR SW-55 swellable waterstop strips were installed along the construction joints to ensure a leak-free and durable concrete structure.
Permanently Sealing Pores & Micro-Cracks
Once added to the concrete mix or applied to a prepared concrete surface, the proprietary chemicals in Penetron’s crystalline products react in a catalytic reaction with moisture to generate a non-soluble crystalline formation throughout the pores and capillary tracts of the concrete. The resulting crystalline formation seals pores and micro-cracks, and becomes an integral part of the matrix, making the concrete impermeable. The concrete also has the ability to self-heal newly formed cracks, significantly reducing the maintenance needed over the lifespan of the concrete reservoir.
“The Penetron System is ideal for waterproofing concrete structures that come into contact with drinking water,” adds Cláudio Neves Ourives. “The treated concrete structure can now withstand the high hydrostatic pressure and has the built-in corrosion protection needed due to the chloride content in the water stored in the Brotas Reservoir.”
The Brazilian water reservoir slab was waterproofed with a topically applied layer of PENETRON and the reservoir walls used PENETRON ADMIX-treated concrete.
