Partnering to build strong, safer, more sustainable structures for today’s world.
Albemarle provides ingredients for materials essential to the building and construction industry that meet the increased demands of modern structures and construction standards.
Products That Work Harder, Last Longer
Whether reducing construction time, keeping “smart” structures firesafe or improving quality and performance of glass and other materials, Albemarle innovation keeps pace with the evolving needs of the global building and construction industry. Our customers rely on our ingredients for better materials and to keep the growing amount of wiring, circuit boards and insulation foams in today’s modern buildings from causing smoke and fire hazards.
Sandspar and LAS (lithium aluminosilicates) are post-industrial reuse materials or co-products from our lithium mining and conversion processes. Albemarle offers these materials either as-is or reprocessed for a variety of uses in the construction industry. Reusing these materials reduces waste that would otherwise be disposed into landfills, contributing to a more sustainable building and construction industry ecosystem.
Glass & Ceramics
Lithium carbonate is essential for manufacturing strong, durable and thermal-resistant glass used in building and construction. Our spodumene is a key component for glass, ceramics and metallurgical applications, helping to increase ceramic body strength, improve coating viscosity, color, strength and luster.
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Additives for Construction Materials
Our lithium carbonate is used as an accelerator for fast setting cement and mortars, reducing critical construction time for floor or wall applications. Albemarle additives are also found in self-leveling floor screeds, adhesives for tiles, shotcrete and waterproofing slurry. Lithium hydroxide is used to preserve concrete construction materials, as it mitigates the destructive effects of the alkalIndustry - silica reaction.
Butyllithium is employed for anionic solution polymerization to produce styrene-butadiene copolymers, which are used for special road pavements to reduce noise and the abrasion of tires.
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Wire & Cable
Albemarle’s SAYTEX® flame-retardant additives help mitigate the incidence of fire hazards. Flame retardant additives can be compounded into the polymer matrix during the wire and cable extrusion process, and production of wire coatings / primary insulation, that enhances the fire resistance of the final product. Our flame-retardant technology helps to meet the most stringent fire standards in the industry.
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Insulation
Insulation materials like fiberglass, cellulose and closed cell spray foam can be treated with flame retardants to increase their fire resistance. When treated with Albemarle flame retardants, these materials resist high temperature and reduce the risks of toxic smoke and sparks that cause fires, keeping buildings both energy efficient and safe.