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Local manufacturers' products help transition to a low-carbon economy
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During the recent COP26 Global Climate Conference, President Cyril Ramaphosa and other leaders announced the establishment of historic partnerships with the governments of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union to support South Africa’s justice to a climate-resilient society transition.
Local manufacturer Pratley has a series of products that can support the country's transition to a low-carbon economy, especially in infrastructure development and energy conservation, noted Eldon Kruger, director of marketing. These include Pratlipperl®, an aggregate used for plaster and screed that can help the construction industry meet quality standards, such as SANS 204, which specifies design requirements for building energy efficiency. The product is a lightweight, heat-insulating, and fire-resistant cement aggregate based on perlite, which is used to replace ordinary construction sand.
Unlike ordinary perlite, Pratlipperl® is unique in that it is very suitable for use with cement. This is because, unlike traditional brittle perlite, Pratlipperl® has a strong surface structure. "The end result is a unique, environmentally friendly and lightweight building material that is both fireproof and thermally insulated," Kruger commented.
During processing, the perlite ore is crushed into sugar particles and passed through a specially developed furnace. As a result, the perlite particles soften and the water trapped in its structure becomes steam, which escapes through diffusion. In turn, these particles will expand or swell into a large number of well-sealed light glass beads with a vacuum inside. The intumescent Pratlipperl® is best described as containing millions of miniature "airless bottles" and therefore has unparalleled insulation and fire resistance.
The conductivity (K) of Pratliperl® in the loose state is 0.05 W/mK, which is 20 times that of ordinary sand. This characteristic stems from the low density and "airless bottle" structure of Pratlipperl® beads. Pratlipperl® plaster of only 16 mm on each side provides the same thermal insulation effect as a double brick (220 mm thick) wall, which essentially means that the wall’s thermal insulation effect is doubled. "This incredible insulation value means that architects can rest assured that they can easily comply with energy-saving regulations such as SANS 204," Kruger emphasized.
The bulk density of Pratliperl® is approximately 100 kg/m3. When mixed with cement, the actual density of concrete ranges from 300 kg/m3 to 1100 kg/m3, depending on the mixture, it is basically concrete floating on the water. In addition to an almost refractory melting temperature of 1 250°, Pratlipperl® concrete also maintains its high-temperature structural integrity due to its incredible thermal insulation.
The latter ensures that the thermal gradient on the heated surface under fire conditions is very high, resulting in a low temperature below the surface. Only 30 mm thick Pratlipperl® plaster can ensure a two-hour fire resistance rating and will not release smoke during a fire. Compared with expanded polystyrene insulation products that may release harmful fumes, it has obvious advantages.
Pratliperl® concrete does not rely on aeration and can be cured under any vibration conditions. After curing, it exhibits superior strength compared with other lightweight concretes. Strength varies with density, but practical strength from 1 MPa to 15 MPa is possible. This far exceeds the strength of aerated concrete of similar density or other similar lightweight concrete.
The application range of Pratliperl® ranges from gypsum (internal and external insulation) to lightweight floors in high-rise buildings, roof terraces, fire barriers, prefabricated molded products, fire protection in mine tunnels, screeds, bathtubs, floor heating, tile adhesive fillers, Bricks and slabs, pizza ovens, cryogenic tanks, loose fillers, paint texture agents, aggregates for refractory cement, and insulating surfaces as molten metal.
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