Rio Tinto | Minerals and Metals for the world

These flakes are then "exfoliated" at the user's plant by passing them through the hot zone of a furnace which causes them to expand to produce concertina shaped particles. These particles are many times the original volume of the crude mineral and are very low in density.

But, back to the African violets. Why would anybody want to use vermiculite with these beautiful plants? The answer is that for their successful propagation the plants need to have the appropriate levels of aeration and moisture retention in their growing media – and this is provided by vermiculite particles.

And it's not only plants that can benefit in the garden from the use of vermiculite. Lawns can also be improved via the use of the mineral in "weed and feed" products. In these mixes, because of its absorption properties, vermiculite is used as a carrier for nutrients and/or herbicides/pesticides.

Moving from the garden to the house just finds even more uses for vermiculite and these can occur in every room. For example the plaster on the walls is very likely to contain vermiculite as this aids the adhesion of the product to blockwork. In addition it makes life easier for the plasterer due to its ability to improve the workability of the wet mix.

Loft insulation can be improved by the use of large vermiculite particles which are easily poured between the joists and this type of application is particularly useful in areas where a free flowing product us easier to install than a roll of insulating wool.

Floors are yet another surface in the house that can use vermiculite products with lightweight concretes utilizing the mineral to achieve enhanced thermal insulation performance.



These flakes are then "exfoliated" at the user's plant by passing them through the hot zone of a furnace which causes them to expand to produce concertina shaped particles. These particles are many times the original volume of the crude mineral and are very low in density. But, back to the African violets. Why would anybody want to use vermiculite with these beautiful plants? The answer is that for their successful propagation the plants need to have the appropriate levels of aeration and moisture retention in their growing media – and this is provided by vermiculite particles. And it's not only plants that can benefit in the garden from the use of vermiculite. Lawns can also be improved via the use of the mineral in "weed and feed" products. In these mixes, because of its absorption properties, vermiculite is used as a carrier for nutrients and/or herbicides/pesticides. Moving from the garden to the house just finds even more uses for vermiculite and these can occur in every room. For example the plaster on the walls is very likely to contain vermiculite as this aids the adhesion of the product to blockwork. In addition it makes life easier for the plasterer due to its ability to improve the workability of the wet mix. Loft insulation can be improved by the use of large vermiculite particles which are easily poured between the joists and this type of application is particularly useful in areas where a free flowing product us easier to install than a roll of insulating wool. Floors are yet another surface in the house that can use vermiculite products with lightweight concretes utilizing the mineral to achieve enhanced thermal insulation performance.
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Review is published by Rio Tinto, 6 St James' Square, London SW1Y 4LD, England Telephone +44 (0)20 7930 2399 Editor: Cherry DeGeer