Compositions and methods for producing materials for construction and for dust control utilizing enzyme producing cells, an amount of a nitrogen source such as urea, and an amount of calcium such as calcium chloride. Calcium contributes to the formation of calcium carbonate which creates a solid structure, layer or shield. One or more compositions containing components of the invention can be sprayed or otherwise applied to surfaces for erosion control, foundation support, prevention of sink hole formation, prevention of dust formation, or other applications. Ammonia, water and other by-products of the process can be recycled and re-utilized for the same or other purposes including, for example, as fertilizers and energy sources, or independently fermented from selectively cultivated microorganisms.

Methods of forming an aqueous silica suspension are provided. The methods include admixing water, an organic acid, a silica powder, and a siliconate under certain conditions. The silica powder includes undensified silica powder in an amount of at least about 50% by weight and has a specific gravity in the range of from about 2.1 to about 2.5, a bulk density in the range of from about 12 lb/ft3 to about 40 lb/ft3, and a water requirement of from about 80 to about 250 at a pH in the range of from about 5.5 to about 7.5. Also provided are aqueous silica suspensions, hydraulic cement compositions, and methods of cementing in a well.

Methods, systems, and devices, are developed for in-situ placement of a concrete mix that can have the thixotropy to hold vertical dimension without containment, while maintaining pliability to be pumped into place and manipulated to a desired shape, and can be combined with concrete set accelerators, allowing subsequent layers of this concrete mix to be continuously stacked in place to build tall walls and such without the use of forms. Concrete without these special properties is pumped toward the point of placement where it is modified by injecting and mixing, into that line of pumped concrete, an admixture containing thixotropes, thickeners and/or set accelerators or other modifiers to provide these properties and other improvements. This method allows conventional plant batching with commonly available constituent materials for batching an economical concrete that is delivered to a jobsite and then is pumped most of the way to a point of placement.

Provided is fibrous cellulose used for producing a concrete-pump pressure-feeding primer containing calcium carbonate powder, which is excellent in a dispersion stability and a pressure-feeding property. The fibrous cellulose is used for producing the concrete-pump pressure-feeding primer through mixing with the calcium carbonate powder. The fibrous cellulose contains ultrafine fibrous modified cellulose which has an ionic group and has a fiber width of 1,000 nm or less.

In various embodiments, a process is described for the preparation of a concrete mixture in a Ready-mix or for an installation. A quantity of amorphous silica is added with an average particle size in the range of from about 1 to about 55 nanometers and/or wherein the surface area of the particles of the amorphous silica is in the range of from about 300 to about 900 m2/g. The amorphous silica may be added in colloidal form or otherwise, and is added at a particular stage to ensure efficacy.

The present invention relates to a process for producing calcium silicate hydrate under hydrothermal conditions, wherein an organic compound is added in at least one of the process steps and wherein the organic compound has a molecular weight of 100 to 600 g/mol and from 0.02 to 0.035 functional groups per gram of the organic compound, wherein the functional groups being selected from —OH, —COOH, 'COOM.sub.a, —SO.sub.3H or —SO.sub.3M.sub.a, or —C(═O)H, wherein M is hydrogen, a mono-, di- or trivalent metal cation, ammonium ion or an organic amine radical and a is ⅓, ½ or 1. Further the invention is directed to the calcium silicate hydrate produceable according to the process of the present invention and its use as curing accelerator for hydraulic binders.

Composite cement compositions and slurries for treating a well following a water-based wellbore operation are provided and comprise cement comprising at least one of cement particles and cementitious material, water, and water swellable particulates that are embedded in the cement, derived from an elastomeric material, and present at a concentration of at least about 2% by weight of the cement but no more than about 30% by weight of the cement. Methods for treating a well drilled with a water-based drilling mud are provided and comprise pumping the composite cement compositions and slurries into the well and treating the well by allowing the composite cement compositions and slurries to set or cure after being pumped into the well.

A system for cementing a borehole with foamed cement includes a gas delivery assembly mounted on a movable support structure, the gas delivery assembly configured to supply a gas to a cement slurry to generate a foamed cement slurry. The gas delivery assembly includes a heating element in thermal communication with a gas supply, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a flow meter, and an automated control valve in fluid communication with the gas supply. The gas delivery assembly also includes a control module including a processing device configured to control a temperature and a flow rate of the gas supplied to the cement slurry based on a desired flow rate and measurements from the temperature sensor, the pressure sensor and the flow meter.

A system for cementing a borehole with foamed cement includes a gas delivery assembly mounted on a movable support structure, the gas delivery assembly configured to supply a gas to a cement slurry to generate a foamed cement slurry. The gas delivery assembly includes a heating element in thermal communication with a gas supply, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a flow meter, and an automated control valve in fluid communication with the gas supply. The gas delivery assembly also includes a control module including a processing device configured to control a temperature and a flow rate of the gas supplied to the cement slurry based on a desired flow rate and measurements from the temperature sensor, the pressure sensor and the flow meter.

The present invention provides a liquid composition of quicklime particles within an alkylene glycol-based paste or slurry environment, which allows for pumpability and meterability of a liquid composition into cementitious materials such as concrete and mortar. Treated quicklime particles of the present invention manifest an unexpected and surprising hydration induction postponement behavior, as demonstrated through calorimetric testing.