Omya's Lightweight Fillers Revolutionize the Construction Industry

#2. What is the potential of lightweight solutions and where is the related market?

The market for lightweight solutions is expected to continue growing rapidly as industries strive to improve sustainability, efficiency, and performance. Key drivers include environmental concerns and related tightening regulations, rising fuel costs, and health and safety concerns for workers in the construction industry.

The low density of lightweight fillers enables the decrease of the weight of the final application with multiple benefits.
 

• Lightweight products lead to transportation savings, resulting in CO₂ reduction.
• Low-density applications lead to lowered thermal conductivity, enabling energy saving during usage.
• Construction workers too, benefit from low-density applications as it means less weight to carry and faster operations – more surface to cover with the same weight.

Lightweight Fillers Increase Coverage Area and Lower the Cost/m²

#3. What aspects were crucial for you to consider during the development of your solutions?

My primary focus was to thoroughly examine and deliver ready-to-market solutions to our stakeholders, aiming to simplify their work under any circumstances and alleviate the burden of seeking multiple solutions.

The guiding principle behind the creation of the Omyasphere series was clear to me since the beginning, with the unwavering faith that raw materials producers have the task to help manufacturers and professionals of the construction industry simplify yet elevate their everyday work life. This is well shown in our family claim: "Many applications, one portfolio".

During the past years, our Omyasphere portfolio was essentially built around the Omyasphere 200 series, which are microspheres based on closed-cell expanded perlite.By keeping an ear open to the market, we realized that it was also in need of other solutions for different applications - that's how Omyasphere 400 was developed, the solution that offers higher mechanical strength and an exceptionally low carbon footprint.

Right now, we are enhancing the Omyasphere portfolio with hollow glass microsphere products especially suitable for paints & coatings and adhesives & sealants applications.

 

Omyasphere Series: Many Applications, One Portfolio

#4. Why and where should we consider transitioning to lightweight solutions?

Lightweight minerals are the tangible solution for more sustainable applications and formulations. If you need insulating solutions, efficient production, effortless applications, or lightweight solutions for reduced transportation costs, Omya will support you with the Omyasphere lightweight solution portfolio.

Regarding the application areas, Omya's sales experts will guide you towards the recommended solution. Furthermore, the Omyasphere documents and the related tech-center on SpecialChem will support you in finding adequate products. A simplified description is difficult to make as it will only provide an incomplete picture, but it could be enumerated as follows:
 

• Omyasphere 200 is suitable where weight reduction, yield improvement, savings, and easy handling are key. Omyasphere 200 can replace heavier fillers and other lightweight fillers with a higher density, such as expanded glass powders. Key applications include: spackles, joint compounds, putties, and ceramic-tile-adhesives, just to name a few.

• Omyasphere 400, thanks to its higher strength, is recommended in many cementitious applications such as lightweight concrete, self-leveling underlayment, panels & boards, etc. Omyasphere 400 can typically replace less sustainable and less reliable solutions such as cenospheres. Omyasphere 400 has an unmatched low CO₂ footprint making it very suitable for industries where CO₂ footprint reduction is a key goal to achieve.

• Omyasphere 900 are perfect spheres for high-end applications. Such hollow glass spheres have an outstanding strength-to-weight ratio. The relatively small particle sizes and high product brightness make them suitable for many paint & coating and adhesive & sealant applications.

   

Relative Positioning of Lightweight Fillers According to Strength and Density

#5. Can you give an example of a successful lightweight filler implementation?

Microspheres have gained significant traction in the construction sector due to the rapidly increasing demand for more sustainable, efficient, and user-friendly end products. One example of their implementation is in ceramic tile adhesives. Standard tile adhesives are mainly based on cement, sand, and related additives. For a low-density formulation, part of the sand is replaced by a lightweight filler, such as Omyasphere 200.

The weight of the related premix is largely reduced. It means less CO₂ emitted to bring the material to the job site and less weight to carry for the worker on-site. The higher yield and the easier application, coming for instance from enhanced sag resistance, gives faster tiling operations. Besides the related savings, the insulating properties (both thermal and acoustic) give additional value for lightweight formulations during usage.

Not to forget: Omyasphere are mineral solution that makes it easier to recycle building materials at the end of their life cycle.
 

Implementation of Lightweight Fillers by Omya in Ceramic Tile Adhesives

#6. What do you believe could bring a significant change to the industry?

Our aim, working with my team, was not merely to offer a series of products but to establish a comprehensive solutions hub that customers can easily navigate. This is why we dedicated considerable effort to providing:
 

• technical expertise,
• guideline formulations, and
• relevant knowledge tailored to specific applications

You select your application, and Omya offers you the appropriate solution. Additionally, the company prioritizes global supply reliability. In other words, they not only offer worldwide logistics but also leverage the international expertise of Omya's teams across various countries.

 

About David Gonzalez Amago    David Gonzalez Amago is the Director of Global Business Development for Lightweight Fillers at Omya. He holds a civil construction degree from the Polytechnic of Madrid. He has 20 years of well-proven and diversified experience in R&D, product development, and technical service in the construction industries with cement, concrete, chemical admixtures, paints & coatings, and oil & gas. His areas of specialization include cement chemistry, concrete rheology, chemical admixtures mechanism, and novel materials (e.g., colloidal silica, microspheres, rheology modifying admixtures).