Energy-saving aggregate on show at Big 5 Construct Southern Africa
Leading local manufacturer and member of the Green Building Council, Pratley will showcase its range of eco-friendly mineral products for the construction industry at the upcoming Big 5 Construct Southern Africa. The expo will take place from 27 to 29 June at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
The 10th annual Big 5 Construct Southern Africa expo offers contractors, engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, designers, and property owners a one-stop shop to identify viable opportunities and materials to complete projects efficiently and on budget.
“It’s the ideal event to showcase the remarkable energy saving capabilities of Pratliperl®, the modern solution for energy-efficient building,” comments Pratley Marketing Director Eldon Kruger. Pratliperl®, when mixed with cement, produces eco-friendly, ultra-lightweight, thermally insulating, and fireproof concrete.
Pratliperl® is ideal for a range of applications, including thermally insulating plasters, screeds, pizza oven liners, bricks, boards and much more. It is best described as a modern solution for energy-efficient buildings.
The construction industry is an important market for Pratley, especially when considering the ‘green’ aspects of Pratliperl®. “Energy-saving will continue to be an issue for the world at large. The product can assist architects and construction professionals to comply with energy-saving regulations such as SANS 204,” explains Kruger.
The sustainability features of Pratliperl® translate into significant growth opportunities for the manufacturer. “In South Africa, with a constrained power grid and the ever-increasing cost of energy, Pratliperl® is a gamechanger. For example, you can literally double the thermal insulation of a two-leaf brick wall by plastering the inside and outside of that wall with Pratliperl®.”
Pratliperl® is derived from a volcanic glass called Perlite. The raw material is expanded in special furnaces to create millions of small, well-sealed Pratliperl beads. Each bead has a small vacuum inside, giving the product its unique thermal insulation properties.
“It is like having thousands of tiny thermos flasks,” highlights Kruger. The expansion furnaces are highly specialised, with proprietary technology in their design and construction. South African Perlite, unlike Perlite from other parts of the world, is also very hard once it has expanded. This makes the mineral ideal for construction industry applications.
“What also makes it unique is the fact that it will not spall,” continues Kruger. Under fire conditions and, more severely, underwater quench conditions (for example, from a fire hose) following extreme heat, conventional concrete will spall and lose its integrity. Pratliperl®, on the other hand, remains fully intact, demonstrating its exceptional fire resistance properties.
When mixed with cement, Pratliperl® is also ideal for producing ultra-lightweight panels, boards, bricks and blocks that can be cut, nailed, and drilled.
Visit Pratley at Stand 411 at the Big 5 Construct Southern Africa expo to see its products, meet the team, view incredible demonstrations, and learn more about how it can support your construction and energy-saving needs.