There’s a new, lightweight aggregate on the market that debuted at the World of Concrete trade show in February 2016. It’s called Poraver X. The word "poraver" actually means porous glass.
The company behind Poraver X is Dennert Poraver GmbH, a leading producer of expanded-glass granulate, which was established in 1983. Dennert Poraver GmbH is headquartered in Germany and has a production facility in Innisfil, Ont.
The Ontario facility opened in 2007 as Poraver North America, a licensee producing Poraver expanded glass for the North American market. In 2011, Dennert Poraver GmbH acquired Poraver North America.
Poraver X is a lightweight filler that has very low water absorption. This is the property that sets this product apart from its competitors. It’s made from post-consumer recycled glass, primarily beer bottles, and as such is non-combustible.
The granules that make up Poraver X are porous on the inside, but feature closed-pore, glazed external surfaces, which account for the product’s minimal water absorption.
Unlike other porous fillers that will absorb the liquids in paste-like, ready-to-use construction materials, Poraver X will resist that water absorption, so products containing it will have a longer shelf-life and will be able to retain their workable, as-manufactured consistency, the company states.
Poraver X is designed for use in the manufacture of such ready-to-use products as grouts, putties, sealants and underbody coatings, dispersion-based tile adhesives and plasters, coatings (for example paints, lacquers), epoxy joint fillers, as well as in bituminous applications, mineral castings and thermoset applications.
"The spherical shape of Poraver X delivers an optimal volume-to-surface ratio," explains Shahram Astor, Poraver North America’s executive sales manager, noting that the spherical shape also improves the product’s flow behaviour. "The surface structure of Poraver X ensures good mechanical bonding between aggregate in the binder matrix."
Poraver X is also light in colour, which makes it suitable for "colour-sensitive" products like decorative fillers, Astor explains. Poraver X has high compressive strength and good thermal insulation properties.
Astor says using Poraver X for mineral castings reduces density, which in turn means it becomes easier and less costly to ship the finished product.
Poraver X was in development for most of 2015. It comes in three granule sizes and is now available throughout North America and Europe.
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