Basalt Fibers
Basalt fibers are being tested for numerous structural engineering applications. Production capacity is being ramped up globally. Apparently, there was a good bit of experience with this material in the Soviet Union, mostly for military applications. Ex-Soviet countries is still where most of the experience is (esp. Ukraine). Given that the Soviet Union disintegrated almost 20 years ago, much of this information should now be in the public domain, if we can get to it.
External Links
- Great background article about the material: http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/basalt-fibers-alternative-to-glass
- Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basalt_fiber
- More background, here with wind energy in mind: http://windgateenergy.com/?page_id=16
Recent video from the Monolithic Dome Institute, mentions basalt fibers:
Some links to suppliers
- http://www.apparelsearch.com/basalt_fiber_directory_and_baslt_fibers_guide.htm
- http://www.technobasalt.com/
- http://www.basaltfm.com/eng/nav/materials.html
- http://www.sudaglass.com/
- There is also a German-Georgian company, apparently the only manufacturer of basalt fibers in Europe: http://www.deutsche-basalt-faser.de/
Will it scale down ?
Let's not kid ourselves, this is a high-tech, difficult process. Not all basalts work, and the material has to be heated up to 1400C. That all sounds very capital intensive. Still, this can potentially be made to work on the small scale, generating precious basalt fibers for all kinds of structural applications, displacing steel and even carbon fibers.
Product Ecology
Biogas -- methane from biogas can be used to heat the basalt.
Gasifier -- alternatively, syngas can be used.
Induction_Furnace -- can melt glass, so it should also be able to melt basalt
Waste heat -- In cold climates, any kind of waste heat can be useful for heating winter greenhouses and for other space heating needs.