Basalt microspheres

Basalt microspheres

Our patented, single-stage manufacturing technology enables the production of solid basalt microspheres (beads) with precisely controlled microstructures, ranging from fully amorphous basalt glass to glass-ceramic structures. The microspheres have average diameters ranging from 50 to 1,000 µm.

Made from natural basalt, these microspheres combine the inherent properties of basalt-based materials with a spherical geometry. By controlling their microstructure, their mechanical, thermal, chemical, and dielectric properties can be tailored to meet the requirements of specific applications.

Compared with conventional A-glass and E-glass microspheres, basalt microspheres offer potential advantages in mechanical performance, abrasion resistance, chemical durability, operating temperature range, thermal shock resistance, and dielectric properties.

Basalt microspheres can be used as proppants, filtration media, and functional fillers in composite materials based on polymer and ceramic matrices. Their tunable microstructures and versatile properties make them promising for a broad range of industrial applications, as outlined below.



The main applications of solid basalt microspheres are:

  1. Filling materials for therapeutic and rehabilitation mattresses designed for patients recovering from major surgery, burns, and physical injuries.
  2. Yttrium oxide-modified basalt microspheres for research and development of materials for targeted radiation therapy, including radioembolization applications.
  3. Microfillers for injection-molded composites. Microspheres can help maintain processability while improving abrasion resistance, surface microhardness, and dimensional stability, reducing product warpage and shrinkage during cooling and service.
  4. Microfillers for paints, primers, putties, protective coatings, repair compounds, and basalt-polymer flooring, improving abrasion resistance, surface microhardness, and thermal resistance.
  5. Radiation-shielding additives for paints, protective coatings, panels, and specialized concrete formulations.
  6. Microfillers for modifying composite formulations used in 3D printing.
  7. Energy-efficient proppants for hydraulic fracturing, helping keep fractures open in rock formations during hydrocarbon extraction.
  8. Additives for drilling fluids to reduce friction between drilling equipment and surrounding rock through a rolling-friction effect.
  9. Additives for dielectric coatings designed to improve resistance to electrical corona discharge.
  10. Opaque test media for evaluating and testing various filtration systems.
  11. Filter media and packing materials for filtration and chromatographic columns, including high-temperature applications.
  12. Packing materials and fillers for condensation and distillation columns.
  13. Grinding media for bead mills.
  14. Shot-blasting and tumbling media for metal surface cleaning, finishing, descaling, deburring, peening, and polishing.
  15. Powder feedstock for detonation and plasma-sprayed coatings, including coatings for solar collector surfaces.
  16. Spacer beads for controlling adhesive bond-line thickness during the bonding of surfaces.
  17. Fillers and modifiers for aluminum alloys and glass-ceramic compositions, including glass-ceramics (sital), taking advantage of their higher operating temperature compared with conventional soda-lime (A-glass) and borosilicate (E-glass) microspheres.
  18. Antibacterial microfillers for polymer-based composite products, including dental restorative materials.
  19. Filter media for water treatment and aquarium filtration, as well as decorative aquarium elements.
  20. Calibration media for filtration systems and laboratory equipment.