ACTIVITY

OUR PRODUCT

Norlite produces a lightweight aggregate material that is used in a variety of construction projects. The unique properties of Norlite’s aggregate contribute to making buildings safer, more environmentally friendly and more energy-efficient. As a result, many construction projects that use our product are able to achieve LEED certification as green buildings.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Norlite’s product is a ceramic material produced by expanding and vitrifying select shale in a rotary kiln. The process produces a high-quality ceramic aggregate that is structurally strong, physically stable, durable, environmentally inert, light-in-weight, and highly insulative. It is a non-toxic, absorptive aggregate that is dimensionally stable and will not degrade over time.

Some of the main benefits of our lightweight aggregate are:

• Thermal Insulation: In an age of energy conservation, the thermal insulation properties of lightweight concrete and concrete masonry units are of growing importance. Because Norlite is a rotary kiln expanded shale, the manufacturing process creates an insulating material. Within each aggregate there are millions of tiny separate air cells which greatly enhance the thermal resistance of the concrete. Norlite concrete has the capability of providing more than double the thermal insulation value of normal weight concrete.

• Fire Resistance: All combustible material is burned out in the manufacturing process, therefore the fire resistance of Norlite structural concrete is greater than that of natural aggregate concrete. The porous structure of Norlite provides superior insulating performance allowing increased fire resistance.

• Chemical Inertness: Norlite is a chemically inert manufactured lightweight aggregate which causes no staining, popouts, disintegration or adverse reaction to metal or steel in construction.

• Abrasion Resistance: Laboratory tests have indicated that rotary kiln expanded shale concrete has superior abrasion resistance to natural aggregate concrete.

Our product offers designers solutions to the challenges of reducing dead loads, lowering thermal conductivity of building products, improving fire ratings, enhancing soils, and treating wastewater, among others.

How is OUR aggregate applied?

Norlite’s lightweight aggregate is a versatile product that can be used in different types of projects. Among all, it is mainly applied for:

• Structural concrete

• Bridges

• Masonry

• Geotechnical fill

• Horticulture

• Internal curing

• Storm water

• Asphalt, and more.

Our product has been used in iconic projects such as the Freedom Tower Memorial Gardens, the NYS DEC headquarters, or the Twin Bridges.

OUR PROCESS

Our production process is science-based and consists mainly of five steps:

Mining: The raw material for Norlite is a thick sequence of shale located on our property, approximately 450 million years old, known as the Normanskill Shale. The shale deposit is broken into manageable pieces by drilling and blasting. The broken shale is then loaded into dump trucks for transportation out of the quarry to the crushing operation, all within our property.

Primary Crushing and Screening: The material is fed into a crusher. The material that comes out of it goes through a screening process where the pieces are sorted, depending on their size, for secondary crushing or storage before the next step.

Expansion: The sized raw shale is then fed into one of the two rotary kilns. It is introduced into the back-end of the kiln at a temperature of approximately 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Initially the moisture in the shale is evaporated and the shale begins to preheat as it moves forward in the kiln. The shale is retained in the kiln for approximately 45 minutes. As the shale approaches the front of the kiln, where the burner is located, the temperature increases to 2000 to 2100 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature the shale reaches what is known as the point of incipient fusion where the shale is in a semiplastic state. The expanded shale is then discharged from the kiln onto an air cooler. The resulting cooled vitreous product is discharged onto a belt for stockpile storage.

Crushing and Storage: The material is then screened again and subject to final cuts to produce a consistent quality product. The oversized pieces are fed into a cone crusher for further reduction, and then fed back for screening. Quality control checks are taken at this point to ensure properly graded products are being manufactured. The material is conveyed to separate stockpiles by product type for subsequent distribution to customers.

Shipment: When our customers are ready to receive their orders, the final product is shipped in bulk by rail, truck or barge.

DOCUMENTS & PERMITS

Check out our permits, renewals and other related documents in the tab below.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Want to be involved in Norlite’s cause, or have any questions and/or concerns? Check out our Public Participation Plan (PPP) by clicking the “Take Action” tab below.