Cenospheres, also known as microspheres, are minute hollow spheres formed in coal fired power stations. After the coal burning process, the resulting pulverized fuel ash (PFA) settles in lagoons, where only a small portion floats to the surface, forming cenospheres.
Cenospheres are lightweight, inert, and durable particles that form during the burning of coal in power plants. These small, spherical particles have diameters ranging from 10 to 500 microns and are known for their buoyancy and strength, making them ideal for numerous industrial applications.
This product offers a sustainable and efficient solution for industries looking to innovate and improve product performance. By incorporating these microspheres, manufacturers can produce lighter, stronger, and more heat-resistant products that are also cost-effective. Additionally, cenospheres contribute to sustainability by utilizing waste products from coal combustion, minimizing environmental impact.
Cenospheres provide a range of valuable benefits that make them highly useful in various industrial applications.
One of their key advantages is lightweight strength. Due to their hollow structure, cenospheres have an extremely low density, making them ideal for situations where reducing weight is essential without sacrificing strength. This unique property is especially beneficial in industries where weight reduction is crucial for efficiency and performance. Another significant benefit is their thermal insulation properties. Cenospheres are excellent at resisting heat, which makes them widely used in refractory materials and coatings to improve heat resistance in high-temperature environments such as furnaces and foundries.
In addition, cenospheres exhibit strong chemical resistance. They are resilient against most chemicals and acids, which makes them well-suited for harsh industrial environments where exposure to corrosive substances is common.
These unique characteristics allow cenospheres to be utilized across a variety of industries:
– In refractory materials, cenospheres can withstand extreme temperatures, making them essential in high-heat environments such as furnaces and foundries.
– In construction and building, they are used to produce lightweight concrete and cement, reducing density while maintaining the strength needed for structural integrity.
– In the oil and gas industry, their low density and high compressive strength make them valuable in drilling muds and cementing slurries.
– Plastics and polymers benefit from the use of cenospheres, as their inclusion enhances the mechanical properties of these materials, resulting in stronger, lighter products.
– Paints and coatings are improved with cenospheres, as they increase durability and provide a smooth finish, helping to reduce shrinkage and cracking over time.
At Plomp Mineral Services, we supply various grades of cenospheres (microspheres) based on specific gravity, size distribution, colour, chemistry, or a combination of these criteria to meet your specific needs. As a result we offer various grades of white and/or off-white microspheres that meet the following general specification:
– Chemical: Al2O3 typical 30 – 40 % | SiO2 typical 50 – 60 %
– Sizing: 0 – 90 micron | 0 – 200 micron | 0 – 300 micron
– Specific density: ranging from 0.6 to 0.9 g/cm3
– Colour: from white to off-white to light grey.
Technical Data Sheet (TDS) and Safety Data Sheet (SDS) are available upon request.
Obviously cenospheres are not exempt from REACH registration. Therefore we are fully REACH compliant and registered all uses and applications of our cenospheres. The international Harmonized System Code for cenospheres is 6806.20, and the European GN code is 6806.2090.
We supply our Cenospheres in paper bags and big bags and can deliver by truck, container and rail from our stocks.
Contact us now for more information