Cenosphere, a wonder material, is an exclusive by-product of coal combustion. The product is mostly produced in thermal power plants from the combustion of pulverized coal. The first and immediate byproduct is fly ash. The cenosphere is found in the uppermost layer of fly ash. The cenosphere manufacturers in India follow a systematic and proven way of extracting cenospheres from fly ash.
Key characteristics of cenospheres
Cenospheres are wonder material, a byproduct of coal combustion in thermal power plants. The following are five key characteristics of cenospheres:
Remarkably low density
Cenospheres are mainly composed of aluminum silicates that make the particles lighter than traditional fillers like sand. The presence of a maximum percentage of aluminum silicate makes cenospheres lightweight offering substantial weight reduction potential. The material can be efficiently for different buoyancy applications, manufacturing aerospace and automotive components, and manufacturing lightweight construction materials.
The hollow structure of the particles
Close examination of each particle of cenospheres reveals that the particles are surprisingly hollow inside. This special characteristic of cenospheres makes them an extremely advantageous material where thermal insulation is important such as insulation panels and cryogenic containers.
Excellent strength and impact resistance
Cenospheres show surprisingly high impact resistance capacity and compressive strength. Adding them with concrete mix makes the concrete comparatively lightweight and strong. This feature is also useful when added to composites and asphalt pavements. Cenospheres enhance the performance and sustainability of a material or product.
Biocompatibility
Biocompatibility means a material’s capability to coexist with a living body or system without causing any harm to the living organism. Cenospehers are found to be biocompatible which makes them a suitable material for drug delivery systems in the human body, bone implants, and tissue engineering scaffolds. In the future, their biocompatibility along with other properties could make them an excellent material in the medical field for manufacturing various medical devices and equipment.
Chemical inertness
Chemical inertness or chemical unreactivity is the property of a substance that creates high resistance against chemical reactions. The chemical inertness of cenospheres makes the material corrosion-resistant and suitable for various adverse weather conditions. The cenosphere manufacturers in India supply and export high-quality cenospheres with extremely high chemical inertness suitable for harsh weather conditions such as filtration systems, medical implants, and marine applications. They can also be used with paintings and coatings for the long-term performance of these materials.
Moreover, cenospheres are –
- 75% lighter than most of the minerals used as fillers and 30% lighter than resins.
- Suitable for use in both dry and wet slurry forms.
Production of cenospheres
The primary and most authentic source of cenospheres is the production of fly ash from coal coal combustion. The quality of fly ash mostly determines the quality of cenospheres. Fly ash mostly contains ceramic particles composed of alumina and silica. The molecular structure and quality of ceramic particles vary depending on the quality of coal used in thermal power projects. In the fly ash that is formed at about 1500 degrees to 1750 degrees Celsius, three types of ceramic particles are formed: precipitators that lie at the base, hollow particles called cenospheres that lie above the precipitators, and plerosphheres that normally possess higher diameter and contain both cenospheres and precipitators. The cenosphere manufacturers in India such as the Durgesh Group collect cenospheres from fly ash following a systematic process. Collecting the best quality cenospheres that are available in the best quality fly ash is their target. Moreover, the collected cenospheres undergo several steps of quality check to be ready for export. The Durgesh Group is popular for their quality cenospheres.