Rockwool

As the name states rock wool or stone wool is a man made type of fiber and is made from molten stone. Stone is heated to a very high degree above 16000 Celsius and once it melts an air stream or steam jet is sprayed through it and it forms like a loose thin wired mesh. It can also be spun on high speed spinning frames. To describe it in simple terms it is like blowing lava into candy floss. The result is a thin wired mesh. This is cheap rockwool. Rockwool can be compressed into blocks or cubes that can be used for constructing walls and roofs depending on the load factor required. It is also woven into blankets that are used for insulation and sound proofing. Pipes are also manufactured from it. Due to its high resistance to heat it makes an ideal media for construction. It can be used as blocks as boards or sprayed in tunnels on walls or roofs and virtually anywhere where insulation is required. Rockwool is also used to insulate stovepipes, furnaces, etc. as it is highly heat resistant and it also minimizes heat loss.

Rock wool has a wide variety of usage in various industries and as it has a capacity to hold a large amount of water and provides aeration it is used in hydroponic cultivation of plants. It makes an ideal root support in hydroponic cultivation where water retention and aeration are a must for successful cultivation. Rockwool cubes are used for plant germination and growth. These cubes come in different sizes and have holes cut in them. So depending on the plant size one can purchase the cubes. Like all other growing mediums it has its advantages and disadvantages. It was initially used in Denmark for hydroponic growing and then spread to other parts of the world. The cubes come wrapped in plastic and need to be soaked for over 24 hours before they can be used. Its advantages are that due to its high water retention the plants will not die even if there is a power outage. Its disadvantages are that its fibers are so fine that one could inhale them. Therefore it is recommended that one wear a dust mask when working with it. Secondly due to its high ph value the nutrient used has to be diluted to compensate for this. Thirdly it cannot be easily disposed.

Rockwool acoustic properties are well known and it is extensively used for sound proofing in sound studios, theaters and cinema houses. It plays a dual role when used in the construction of these buildings; one it is heat resistant therefore it reduces fire hazards and secondly it absorbs sounds thus eliminating echo and improving sound quality. It is estimated that by using rockwool in construction the energy saving could be as high as 40% which is a huge percentage. There have been studies carried out on the health effect of rockwool and so far all the studies have concluded that it is safe and so far there is no linkage between it and lung diseases.

Rockwool is not very expensive and if it is being used in construction one should look at the advantages that one gets and mainly the reduction in energy costs.

In hydroponics it is quite a cheap growing medium and that is why it has gained in popularity. Rockwool cubes are used in hydroponics and rockwool slabs are used in construction. Grodans rockwool cubes are quite popular with hydroponic gardeners.

Rockwool slabs may be rigid, semi rigid or flexible and provide excellent building material for homes, apartments and also in ship building. Cellulose is made from used papers and it tends to harden over time therefore to fill cavities and other difficult to fill areas rockwool is used.