Cenosphere

Cenosphere is a lightweight, inert, hollow sphere that is comprised of silica and alumina and filled with air or gases. Cenosphere is the by-product of the burning process at coal-fired power plants. Cenosphere provides several benefits like reduced raw materials, flowability, improved insulation values, resistant to resin, reduced end product weight, etc.
 
Advantages :

• Manufacturing Benefits : The spherical shape of Cenospheres improves flowability in most applications and provides a more even distribution of the filler material. The natural properties of Cenospheres make it possible to use them either in dry or wet slurry form. Cenospheres are easy to handle and provide a low surface area-to-volume ratio. Due to their inert properties, they are not affected by solvents, water, acids, or alkalis. Cenospheres are 75% lighter than other minerals currently used as a filler or extender and are 30 percent lighter than most resins.
• Product Improvement : Cenospheres can improve manufacturers' end products by improving strength, durability, and by reducing weight. Cenospheres also provide added buoyancy, better insulative properties, and reduced shrinkage and warpage values. Their spherical shape may improve product stability and increase resistance to impact. Used in the production of insulating materials, Cenospheres better control both sound values and thermal conductivity. Many other benefits or advantages may be realized depending on the application.
• Improved Marketing Strategies : Improvements in the durability and strength of manufacturers' end products and a reduction in product weight enhance marketing strategies. A largely unaddressed advantage for product manufacturers is an environmentally responsible end-product. Manufacturers can use Cenospheres to produce an improved finished product without adding to the Earth's overburdened landfills. The chemically inert properties of Cenospheres make them 100 percent recyclable. With society's heightened interest in environmental concerns, the recyclable properties of Cenospheres can and should be used in marketing the manufacturers' end product.

Applications :

• Automobiles : Fabrication of composite polymeric putties

• Ceramics : Refractories, Tiles, Fire bricks\Construction: Cenospheres is widely used in the construction industry. From roofing materials to stuccos and grouts, new applications and products continue to be developed. The quantity of Cenospheres used within the construction industry continues to grow today as more and more companies realize the advantages Cenospheres bring to their products.

• Oil Fields: Cenospheres have been used in oilfield cementing for quite some time. During a cementing job, Cenospheres act to decrease the slurry density without increasing the water content. This in turn provides better compressive strength to the cement.

• Plastics : Cenospheres are an excellent lightweight filler for plastics and continue to grow in popularity and use. Not only do they reduce the cost of the composite but Cenospheres often impart performance improvements that might otherwise not have been achieved. It is used in all types of Moulding, Nylon, Low Density Polyethylene and Polypropylene