Foamit foam glass aggregate is used in infrastructure construction to reduce the weight of structures, insulate against frost and enable sloping structures.
Compared with gravel, seven times as much Foamit can be delivered to a worksite in one shipment.
The construction company can install Foamit using its own tools – no special equipment is required. Furthermore, Foamit’s high angle of repose allows it to be installed without needing supporting embankments, cutting the costs of mineral materials, work and equipment, and saving time.
Foam glass aggregate is quicker to build with than alternative materials, making it faster for contractors to free up the capital committed to their worksites for new projects.
Foamit aggregate lightens the weight of structures, insulates against frost and enables water to flow through structures rapidly. The density of Foamit within structures is only one-fifth of the density of a coarse sand aggregate.
When structures are renovated, the benefit of foam glass aggregate is its high angle of repose, which ensures that an open structure remains intact and does not collapse into an excavated trench. This enables work such as pipe repairs to be carried out cost-efficiently.
When the structure is considered to have reached the end of its life cycle, the Foamit can be recycled in the same way as for pure mineral materials.
Foamit can be used in groundwater areas, and it does not promote corrosion in structures. Foamit saves on natural resources, and it has a low carbon footprint.
Applications in infrastructure construction
- Roads and streets of all sizes
- Field structures
- Yard construction
- Infills around pipes
- Retaining walls
- Embankments
- Backfills
Foamit – a recycled material – represents the circular economy at its best
The durable and fully recyclable Foamit aggregate material is a sustainable alternative for infrastructure construction and housebuilding.
Foamit foam glass aggregate is manufactured at Uusioaines Oy’s factory in Finland using recycled glass, which is purified using an industrial process. The factory receives old glass, such as car windscreens, plate glass and packaging glass, which is purified and sorted into glass chips of different qualities. These glass chips are used as a raw material in the glass wool and packaging industries, among others. Some of the glass chips are used to make Foamit foam glass at Uusioaines Oy’s production plant.
Using recycled glass as a raw material saves on virgin natural resources. Foamit is proven to have a small carbon footprint. A substantial part of the carbon footprint associated the Foamit’s production consists of the logistical costs of importing the crushed glass used to make the foam glass. However, if Foamit were not produced, this type of crushed glass would be sent to landfill in the European countries where foam glass cannot be utilised for construction (due to factors such as hard soil). In addition, no virgin natural resources are used to produce Foamit. For that reason, Foamit has a significantly positive carbon footprint.
Foamit has been awarded the Nordic Ecolabel, and it can be used in buildings bearing the Nordic Swan emblem.
Foamit is also suitable for use in groundwater areas.
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