Acid-resistant mortars.

There are a few very good acid-resistant mortars still available in the market. Novolak Epoxy, Epoxy, Vinyl Ester, Furan resin, Potassium Silicate, Sodium Silicate, and Sulfur mortar.

All of them share a common characteristic: they can withstand exposure to certain chemicals. Furan mortar has the characteristic of withstanding Hydrofluoric acid, whereas the others cannot be exposed to this acid. On the other hand, Epoxy, Novolak Epoxy, Vinyl Esters, as well as Potassium and Sodium Silicate, can withstand highly concentrated acids, with the limitation related to the temperature of the exposure.

Furan mortar is considered the aspirin of corrosion mortars. Is good almost everywhere. And when bundled with a good membrane, this mortar will last a long time.

Epoxy & Novolak Epoxy mortars. They have a characteristic no other mortar has: tenacious adhesion to the surface. And it is more impressive when bonded to concrete structures. To remove it, you need to use a sledgehammer, and it is not an easy job.

Potassium & Sodium Silicate are able to withstand very high concentrations of acid (Sulfuric & Nitric) and elevated temperatures, so these two mortars are the perfect choice for Sulfuric and Nitric plants.

Vinyl Esters, on the other hand, can handle elevated temperatures, but their chemical resistance is lower than that of Novolak and Potassium mortars. Temperature-wise, VE is between Novolak & Potassium mortars.

Sulfur mortar has been a staple for the steel mills forever. Used to fill the joints of the granite slabs all over the pickling tanks, it's a little dangerous and difficult to install, way cheaper, that's for sure, but it has slowly been replaced with the Furan mortar, which is less aggressive to the installers than melting and installing sulfur cement.

Fireclay brick with Furan mortar.