Foamglass as a Building Material

Dec. 11, 2014 - PRLog -- The construction business is an area of industry which the concept of sustainability has reached relatively late. Nowadays, however, the business of sustainable construction is booming. It is estimated that the profit generated from the green construction business will reach 245 billion US$ by 2016 in the USA alone. This is why new products which promise to make construction greener enter the market regularly.

One of the key elements of this new business is foamglass. It is a material made from recycled glass, which does not mold, is completely inert and heat resistant (with a melting point at 650 degrees Celsius).

Foundations, roofs, walls and decks can all be made from foamglass, meaning, that it is possible to build entire houses with this material. When using foamglass, a separate insulation of the building becomes unnecessary, so that a lot of material and time is saved during construction. This reduces the cost of building.

“Foamglass is relatively new product which has changed the way of thinking in construction business in a very short time” says Markus Haastert, co-founder of the Blue Economy.

Today, many airports are being insulated with foamglass, among them those of Doha, Dubai, Paris and Düsseldorf. Especially the in granulate form, foamglass is increasingly being used as a base material and in road construction.

“The foamglass technology can contribute to transforming millions of tons of waste into a valuable product“, continues Haastert. „As a substitute for traditional construction materials, foamglass has a great potential, as it saves resources and is more stable than alternative materials. As it does not need chemical additives, it can also contribute to a healthier way of living. ”.

The Blue Economy promotes foamglass as a replacement of traditional materials such as concrete and steel. The impressive progress the material has made in the last few years is summarized in one of the 100 cases on the community website of the Blue Economy [http://www.blueeconomy.eu/blog/glass-as-building-material/].

During the process of updating all 100 cases, the Blue Economy welcomes all input from companies, organizations or private persons, who would like to share their experiences with the innovations we introduce.