Decalcification of cement concrete structures and dissolution of bitumen by windshield washer fluid

Cement concrete

A new phenomenon of decalcification of the cement concrete structure and dissolution of bitumen in bituminous pavement is described, caused by the surfactants included in the windshield washer fluid of automobiles. Decalcification occurs in cement concrete samples in the laboratory even at low concentrations of surfactant of 25ppm. Recently, foam with fine bubbles have been observed in the water on pavement just after rain worldwide. The decalcification reaction was identified as an ion exchange reaction between the calcium ions Ca2+ in the concrete and Na+ in the surfactants using the electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) method. Bitumen was also found in the decalcified cement concrete, from which the Ca component had dissolved out gradually with time.