With a constrained power grid and the ever-increasing cost of energy, the sustainability features of Pratliperl translate into significant growth opportunities in South Africa, says industrial products and adhesives manufacturer Pratley’s marketing director Eldon Kruger.

Pratliperl is derived from a volcanic glass, called perlite, which is mined in northern KwaZulu-Natal. The raw material is expanded in special furnaces to create millions of small, well-sealed Pratliperl beads. Each bead has a small vacuum inside, giving the product its unique thermal insulation properties. It can then be mixed with ordinary cement to create thermally insulating plasters and screeds.

Pratliperl offers twenty times more thermal insulation than ordinary sand would, allowing for more energy saving, compared with ordinary plaster comprising sand and cement, subsequently making the building it is applied to less impactful on the environment.

Pratliperl is a lightweight, thermally insulating and fireproof aggregate suited to a range of applications, including thermally insulating plasters, screeds, pizza-oven liners, bricks and boards. It is best described as a modern solution for energy efficient building, suggests Kruger.

“For example, you can literally double the thermal insulation of a two-leaf brick wall by plastering the inside and outside of that wall with Pratliperl. One can also imagine the benefits of Pratliperl for low-cost housing.”

Further, Pratley successfully used this year’s African Construction Expo 2019, held at the Gallagher Convention Centre, in Midrand, to demonstrate the unique properties of Pratliperl. This included a blowtorch fireproof and thermal insulation display.

Notably, the expo was attended by delegates from other countries and Kruger suggests that Pratley is also focusing on other African countries such as Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique as well as equatorial African countries.