Liaver GmbH & Co. KG: Expanded Glass Technologies

LIAVER GmbH & Co. KG has been producing expanded glass granulate from old recycled glass since 1995. Recycled glass is ground, granulated, distended and vitrified in a rotary kiln at 750°C to 900°C. This produces very light granules measuring between 100 µm and 16 mm grain diameter.

The use of expanded glass granulate is always important when products are supposed to be light but firm and non-flammable. Today, expanded glass granulate is found in flexible adhesives, putty or filler-type materials, infra-light concrete, in pressing and grouting systems and for repairing oil and gas drilling equipment. One of the most important markets is the production of special panel materials such as fire-protection panels, façade panels, panels used in ship­­building and acoustic panels.

Broadband absorbent acoustic panels are also produced by Liaver. This is a very successful business: these panels are used to equip the City Tunnel in Leipzig, the U-Bahn in Budapest, the airport in Quatar and the Brisbane bypass tunnel.

Today, Liaver’s successful business model is based mainly on innovation. To achieve this, the company cooperates with well-known research centres such as the Fraun­­hofer Society. The company has applied for over 10 patents and operates several laboratories.