Lightweight expanded clay aggregate plant in Novolukoml expands export geography: focus on Russia

The new production year has begun at the expanded clay concrete block workshop of OJSC "Expanded Clay Gravel Plant of Novolukoml" in Chashniki District, which produces innovative products.

The enterprise, which released its first batch of products in 1977, has been a leader in the industry of the Vitebsk region throughout its history.

The consequences of the sanctions pressure from unfriendly countries towards Belarus are also being overcome with dignity here. Before the coronavirus pandemic and the imposition of sanctions, the plant had significant sales markets for "TermoKomfort" expanded clay concrete blocks in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. The export of these products as cement-containing materials to the European Union countries ceased with the introduction of sanctions. The enterprise's administration decided to strengthen its positions within its home country and paid closer attention to the construction market of the Russian Federation.

– We have made significant efforts to certify our products in compliance with Russian standards, – said the enterprise director Mikhail Lazarashvili. – We plan to make a strong impression by participating for the first time in the largest international construction and interior design exhibition MosBuild, which will be held in April in Moscow. This will contribute to increasing export volumes to the Russian market.

Currently, expanded clay is supplied to Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic. Such countries as Bulgaria and Serbia have been added to the geography of export supplies, and supplies of expanded clay to Poland have significantly increased.

The main competitive advantage of the expanded clay gravel plant's products is high quality. The presence of its own accredited laboratory contributes significantly to this. Its state-of-the-art equipment allows for most tests to be conducted on-site, as well as for providing services to third-party organizations.

The raw material for the production of expanded clay aggregate is dark brown clay. A quarry for its extraction has been developed near the plant. It is noteworthy that in the years when the enterprise was just starting its operation, it was believed that it was impossible to obtain high-quality expanded clay aggregate from such clays. However, the plant managed not only to achieve high quality of expanded clay aggregate but also to establish the production of fine-fraction expanded clay aggregate.

The initial design capacity of the enterprise was 500 thousand cubic meters of expanded clay aggregate per year. Currently, as a result of the ongoing production modernization, the output volume will increase to 1 million cubic meters per year.

It was in Novolukoml that the first electromagnetic filter for expanded clay aggregate production, developed jointly with the Moscow institute "Giprogazochistka," was installed in 2009 throughout the post-Soviet space. This made it possible to reduce inorganic dust emissions from 1240 mg/m3 to 50 mg/m3.

A significant step in the development of the enterprise was the launch of a new workshop for the production of expanded clay concrete products in 2012. From that moment on, the plant became a supplier not only of traditional expanded clay aggregate of various grades but also of a new high-quality, market-demanded building material – "ThermoComfort" expanded clay concrete blocks.

– This workshop is our pride, – said Mikhail Lazarashvili. – Last year, we implemented a significant investment project to replace wooden molding pallets with plastic ones, which allowed us to increase productivity from 45 to 60 cubic meters of expanded clay concrete blocks per hour.

When constructing walls from "ThermoComfort" slotted expanded clay concrete blocks with a tongue-and-groove system for wall thickness of 200 – 500 mm, there is no need to lay mortar on horizontal joints, which avoids "cold bridges." As a result, the thermal resistance of a 400 mm thick wall, with a standard for our country of 3.2 m2∙°C/W, is 3.7 m2∙°C/W, and for a 500 mm wall – 4.55 m2∙°C/W. Buildings with increased thermal engineering requirements are constructed from such blocks. The costs of their heating are negligible.

Solid expanded clay concrete blocks with a tongue-and-groove system for wall thicknesses of 200-300 mm are ideally suited for ventilated facades. Blocks for interior partitions with thicknesses of 100 and 120 mm have a high airborne sound insulation index.

– In recent years, healthcare facilities in Belarus have been mainly built using our blocks, – the enterprise director says with pride. – For example, the SSC Mother and Child, the hybrid surgery unit at the SSC Cardiology, several polyclinics in Minsk, and a new polyclinic in Orsha were built from them. We have won tenders for the supply of materials for the construction of three more similar facilities in 2024. Perinatal centers in Russia – Arkhangelsk, Bryansk, Gatchina, Pskov, Smolensk – were built using our products. After all, expanded clay concrete blocks are an environmentally friendly, lightweight, and very durable material.

The enterprise management sees new prospects for the use of expanded clay in the production of single-layer enclosing panels for industrial housing construction. The Belarusian National Technical University has developed a composition of expanded clay foam concrete for the production of enclosing panels with a density of 400-450 kg/m3 with high mechanical and thermal properties. Extra-light expanded clay with an average density of 200-250 kg/m3 is used as a filler. This enhances the thermophysical properties of the panels, makes them lighter, and reduces the load on building foundations.

– If you don't develop, you die, – Mikhail Lazarashvili is convinced. – That's why we encourage initiative at the plant. Initiative is a trait of competent, thoughtful, and caring specialists.

The head noted that the enterprise, which employs just over 300 people, is currently undergoing a generational change. It is necessary to consider the staffing of blue-collar professions. Nevertheless, working at the expanded clay gravel plant is prestigious: high salary, broad social guarantees. For example, the collective agreement provides for the possibility of purchasing housing in installments without interest for those who have worked for at least a year. The administration welcomes the succession of generations, sends children of employees to universities so that they return to production as young specialists. More than 30 dynasties work at the plant.

Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by