The word Cenosphere is derived from two Greek words Kens (hollow) and Sphaira (sphere). Cenospheres are light weight, inert hollow sphere comprising largely of silica & alumina and filled with air or inert gas. Cenospheres are a naturally occurring by product of the burning process of pulverized coal-fired boilers. They are formed during the molten state of ash and attain spherical shape to have minimum surface tension. Cenospheres are formed from coal combustion ash when it is in a molten state. Flowing with the combustion gas stream, the temperature of the molten particles is rapidly quenched, thereby ‘freezing in’ a spherical shape. Any gas bubbles within the molten particles are also trapped inside the spheres.
Cenospheres Market by Type (Gray Cenosphere, White Cenosphere), End-use Industry (Refractory, Construction, Oil & Gas, Automotive, Paints & Coatings), and market was valued at USD 346.8 Million in 2016 and is projected to reach USD 689.2 Million by 2022, at a CAGR of 12.16% from 2017 to 2022. Cenospheres are inert, light weight and hollow spheres particularly made of alumina or silica and filled with inert gases or air. They are typically manufactured as a by-product of coal combustion in the thermal power plants. The appearance of cenospheres varies from almost white to grey and its density is approximately 0.4–0.8 g/cm3 hence, they have the property of incredible buoyancy.
Few Indian major players are as under:
· Ashtech (India) Pvt. Ltd.
· Bharathi Rock Products (India) Pvt. Ltd.
· Minerals & Minerals Ltd.
· Unirama Industries Ltd.
· Wolkem India Ltd.