Hydrother: An Overview.

In 1972, an American chemist named Dr. George Sarantakos visited his grandfather's country, Greece, and stood at the ruins of the Parthenon Temple. Astonished by the great durability of the stone structures that had lasted for 2,500 years, he was filled with a significant question. Why could these ancient structures endure for millennia while modern concrete deteriorates so quickly?

Dr. Sarantakos researched and analyzed the ancient natural cement that connected the stone pillars. He confirmed two things: firstly, that ancient people used volcanic ash and quicklime instead of modern cement, and secondly, the fact that the free alkali content was almost non-existent, whereas today's concrete contains an average of about 20% free alkali. These free alkalis exhibit extremely high reactivity with other substances, becoming a major cause of concrete deterioration and, consequently, the oxidation of the reinforcing steel.

Dr. Sarantakos sought widely for a way to eliminate the free alkali contained in concrete and add components equivalent to natural Pozzolan (volcanic ash). The hint was in ancient natural science. He discovered the "key" in natural science, which sprouted in ancient Greece and reached its climax in Aristotle's natural history and the various sciences of Alexandria. The substance, similar to that volcanic ash, penetrates immediately and deeply when applied to concrete, reacting with the free alkali components in the substrate, and fills the voids with a hydrophobic inorganic material. This substance gives concrete permanence. The elucidation by Dr. Sarantakos led to the birth of HydroTherm. A great legacy from the ancient Greeks, a crystallization of natural science. That is HydroTherm.