Lightweight building materials
The range of Lightweight Building Materials consists of volcanic and non-volcanic lightweight building materials. The lightweight volcanic building materials are mainly used as filler material in civil works. But also in lightweight concrete and substrate. These are materials with a low volumetric mass. This makes them extremely suitable as fill or backfill materials in areas prone to settlement.
Bouwstoffen Unie supplies several types of Bims: Yali®, Hekla® and Wash®. Also, Lava and Flugsand.
Secondary lightweight filler materials, which are not volcanic, are also part of our range, namely E Bottom Ash and Foam Glass.
Yalibims
YALI® is a light weight pumice stone sourced from the Greek island of Gyali. This island holds about 100 million m3 of reserves of bims of the highest quality. The volcanic rock is distinguished by a very consistent quality with a low specific gravity, loose dumped dry from 600 kg/m3, rough structure with high internal friction angle and unique water and air distribution. This YALI® can be used specifically for such things as light embankments in road construction projects, lightweight concrete, in substrate, for roof gardens and in horticulture.
Lava
Lava is a porous and therefore absorbent and draining material, mined in the Eifel Mountains in Germany, among other places. It provides good hook resistance and specific gravity. Lava is suitable as a foundation layer in areas prone to settlement. It is also suitable as a foundation layer where drainage is required, such as in sports fields. In addition, lava finds its way as a lightweight aggregate in concrete products and the brick industry. It is also used as a filter material in water purification plants. Lava lumps function as noise reducing material in noise barriers and as decoration in (gabion) baskets.
E bottom ash
E Bottom ash is the residual product after combustion of pulverized coal, with or without biomass in a power plant. It is coarse porous granules, erratic in shape, sharp-edged and angular; it is inert and contains no harmful components. E-Boil Ash can therefore be freely applied as a non-shaped building material and can be used in concrete, road construction, sports field construction and horticulture, among others.
Foam glass
Foam glass, or glass foam, are coarse granules created during the melting and expansion of clean recycled glass. This glass granulate is ground into a fine powder and foamed with air. This causes it to expand into a porous cake (slag). The end result is coarse porous granules, which can be broken and sorted. These lightweight granules are used in concrete; in road construction as a lightweight sand substitute for embankments in weak soils; and for thermal insulation and soundproofing.
