LECA
Expanded clay pellets, most commonly known under the brand name LECA (acronym of light expanded clay aggregate), also known as Hydroton and under the non-proprietary terms fired clay pebble, grow rocks, expanded clay (pellets) or hydrocorns, are small globes of burnt and puffed clay, used in construction and farming, and there especially in hydroponics.
They are available in different sizes such as 4/8 (”4 to 8 mm in diameter”), 8/16, 10/20, 1/4 or 2/4. The dry density of lightweight expanded clay aggregates is 300 to 500 kg/m3.
Originally a Danish innovation, LECA is now manufactured in Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Iran, Italy, Norway, Portugal and Sweden.
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Vermiculite
Vermiculite is a natural mineral that expands with the application of heat. The expansion process is called exfoliation and it is routinely accomplished in purpose-designed commercial furnaces. Vermiculite is formed by hydration of certain basaltic minerals. The former W.R. Grace mine in Libby, Montana was the largest and oldest vermiculite mine in the United States, but other deposits exist in South Carolina and Virginia, and large commercial vermiculite mines currently exist in South Africa, China, Brazil, and several other countries.
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Mineral wool
Mineral wool, means fibres made from minerals or metal oxides, be they synthetic or natural. In industry use, MMMF (man-made-mineral-fibres) generally refer to synthetic materials. This includes fibreglass, ceramic fibres and rock wool, also known as stone wool. Mineral wool is an inorganic substance used for insulation and filtering. A common mistake is to believe that fibreglass and ceramic fibres are NOT mineral wools, but they are by virtue of their consisting of minerals or metal oxides.
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Perlite
Perlite is an amorphous volcanic glass that has a relatively high water content, typically formed by the hydration of obsidian. It occurs naturally and has the unusual property of greatly expanding when heated sufficiently.
Properties and uses
When it reaches temperatures of 850–900 °C, perlite softens (since it is a glass). Water trapped in the structure of the material vapourises and escapes and this causes the expansion of the material to 7–16 times its original volume. The expanded material is a brilliant white, due to the reflectivity of the trapped bubbles.
Unexpanded (”raw”) perlite bulk density: around 1100 kg/m³ (1.1 g/cm³).
Typical expanded perlite bulk density: 30–150 kg/m³
Due to its low density and relatively low price, many commercial applications for perlite have developed. In the construction and manufacturing fields, it is used in lightweight plasters and mortars, insulation, ceiling tiles and filter aids. In horticulture it makes composts more open to air, while still having good water-retention properties; it makes a good medium for hydroponics. Perlite is also used in foundries, cryogenic insulations, as a lightweight aggregate in mortar (firestop) and in ceramics as a clay additive.
Coco Peat
Coco Peat (cocopeat), also known as coir pith or coir dust, is a byproduct of extracting fibres from the husk of a coconut. Coco peat is the binding material that comes from the fibre portion of the coconut husk.
The coir dust is washed, heat treated, screened and graded before being processed into various Cocopeat products for Horticultural, Hydroponics and Agricultural Applications and Industrial Absorbent
Cocopeat is usually shipped in the form of compressed bales, briquettes, slabs and discs. The compressed cocopeat is converted into fluffy cocopeat by the addition of water. A single kilogram of cocopeat will expand to 15 litres of moist cocopeat.
