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Concrete in farm buildings is subjected to severe hydrogen sulphide and sulphate concentrations that result in the corrosion of reinforced concrete. This leads to premature deterioration of walls and floors, especially slatted floors, to the point of requiring replacement. Corrosive gases are released from stored manure. Of these, hydrogen sulphide is the most corrosive agent that leads to the rapid deterioration of concrete in barns. As well, manure has high concentrations of sulphates.

In the present study concrete cylindrical specimens with a reinforcing steel bar in the center were exposed to hydrogen sulphide and sulphates in solution. One half of the specimens is partially immersed in sodium sulphate (20,000 ppm SO4 2-) and also subjected to hydrogen sulphide gas (1,000 ppm H2S). The second set is subjected to hydrogen sulphide gas only. Each set consists of 8 different treatments including Portland cement (PC) concrete with 0.4 and 0.5 W/C ratios, PC concrete with 8% silica fume replacement, 25% fly ash and 35% slag of the total amount of cementitious material, and specimens made of PC concrete with combinations of silica fume and fly ash (6%/25%), and silica fume and slag (6%/25%). Finally one treatment is made with sulphate resistant cement.