In response to a global need for a range of sustainable products, a UK partnership has come up with Novagg, which is made using 98 per cent recycled waste materials. These materials include unsorted mixed coloured waste glass, which is chemically and physically modified with the addition of different industrial waste streams diverted from landfill.
Novagg can be engineered to a very high specification to suit demand and it has low water absorption of less than seven per cent. It can be produced at 400 degrees Celcius less than normal for comparable products and has a substantially lower carbon footprint.
After three years of research and a spend of around $1.5 million, the collaboration that included the Imperial College London and a leading industrial partner came up with Novagg. Work is now under way with several multinational companies to put Novagg on the commercial stage in a bid to become the global ?green? construction material of choice.
Spearheading the project are Mike Evans, who developed the product, and project manager Bert Bingham, who together set up Nottinghamshire-based Claylite Aggregates Ltd, with the sole intention of developing and commercialising innovative and sustainable lightweight aggregates.
?We have an international patent application already in place and collaborative work is now being carried out in testing materials for several multinational companies,? Bingham explained. ?In addition, we have a major international industrial group working with us as an informal partner on process technology.
?We are now looking for global partners across the supply chain, from waste producers to end users, in order to share in the benefits of this exciting new product, and to deliver successful projects worldwide. We are working closely with our partners and the help of UK Trade & Investment and the Technology Strategy Board to this end.?
Source: Agg-Net