Unique Applications of Perlite

PVP perlite is a versatile product that is ideally suited to a wide range of use cases. We’ve previously spoken about what perlite is and how it differs from PVP vermiculite, along with the most common ways that our customers and perlite distributors may use it in horticultural, industrial and construction applications. But the story doesn’t end there. In this market, where every dollar spent counts more than ever, a product like perlite proves its worth, being able to shapeshift and show itself useful across industries.

Perlite's unique properties–lightweight, porous, fireproof, absorbent, inert, non-toxic, neutral pH, etc.–make it ideal for uses that extend far beyond gardening and common industrial and construction applications. Here we will discuss these unusual uses in hopes that this information will enable perlite distributors to make the most of our products and diversify their offerings.

PVP Perlite’s Unique & Niche Uses

As perlite manufacturers, PVP Industries is always fascinated by the ever-increasing and innovative uses of our products. Here are some of the more unique and unusual applications that extend far beyond traditional horticultural, industrial, and construction utilizations.

Unique applications for PVP perlite include:

• Animal Feed: perlite is safe, inert, low-density, and all-natural, making it an ideal additive to animal feed to aid in effective delivery of nutrients, supplements, medicines, and more

• Animal Bedding: perlite is super adsorbent, light-weight, easy to scoop and spread, insulative, comfortable, breathable, sterile, and has natural insecticidal properties, making it very useful for dairy cattle and poultry bedding, and has been proven to support animal health and wellness

• Animal Care: beyond being an ideal bedding for larger animals, perlite is also widely used in reptile habitats and incubation, as a pet litter additive, and to create artificial turtle nests for conservation purposes

• Archeological Digs: combined perlite and vermiculite in geotextile bags placed against the fragile exposed walls of a dig help to provide protection and aid in site preservation

• Horse Stalls and Corrals: perlite spread on the ground in horse corrals provides less compaction and more drainage, while also offering animals comfort, stability, and becoming an ideal soil amendment when stall contents are composted or mixed into soil

• BBQ Fire Base: when used as a base beneath charcoal briquettes, perlite allows for greater airflow, prevents heat warping, aids in a more even burn, and enables cooking with less charcoal

• Fish Aquarium Filter: PVP perlite makes an ideal water filter in freshwater systems and exhausted perlite can then be used as a potting soil additive for house plants, providing additional nutrients and aiding in water retention and drainage

• Garden Slug Deterrence: PVP perlite can be used as a top dress to deter slugs, and has the added benefit of preventing soil splash onto leaves, aiding in garden sanitation

• Earthbag Roundhouses: perlite can be used to fill bags to build a roundhouse, providing superior insulative measurements–R-value of 2.7 per inch, with 15” providing R-40 walls all around

• Water Conservation: perlite is well-suited to agricultural practices that aim to retain water and save topsoil, especially in drought-prone regions and areas that deal with soil compaction and resulting runoff and erosion

• Filtering Effluent (sewage): perlite can be used to capture, filter and utilize effluent (sewage) in zero energy environments, allowing for easy and effective tree and plant growth in RV parks or off-grid locations

Perlite is often referred to in the context of the gardening or horticultural industries, but realistically, over half of the perlite produced globally serves non-gardening purposes. Whatever novel application you may have for PVP perlite (please get in touch if you use it in a way not detailed here!), its lightweight nature makes it easy and safe to transport and move around your space.

PVP Perlite Grades

Every grade of perlite has its ideal use cases. Here is a non-exhaustive outline of some of the more traditional applications for various grades of PVP perlite:

Super Coarse: commonly used for hydroponics, high value crop production, high porosity soil mixes, plants that desire a dry environment, packaging filler, food processing spill cleanup, and in industrial applications as refractories products, coarse texture concretes, paints and stuccos, as well as fireproofing

Coarse Perlite: commonly used in professional soil mixes and hydroponics, as insulation, spill cleanup, aggregate in cement, and an ingredient in textured coatings

Medium Perlite: used widely for horticultural purposes, like seed starting mixes, water retaining mixes, propagating via plugs and cuttings, and as a growing medium for plants that desire for wetter environment, as well as in construction applications like as an ingredient in masonry walls, a cryogenic insulation, ingredient in light weight plasters and fireproof cements, textured paints and coatings, pool base cements, and stuccos

Fine Perlite: used in many industrial situations, such as environmental clean up, adsorbents, baghouse precoat, filter aids, insulation in cold boxes, paint and coating texturing, abrasives, and as an agricultural soil amendment

Super Fine: common industrial uses include environmental clean up, adsorbents, baghouse precoat, filter aid, cold boxes, paint and coating texturing, and abrasives

Above grades are available from PVP Industries in various products that are specialized to the industrial, horticultural, and construction fields. Please contact us for a specific product recommendation.

Your Local Perlite Manufacturers

PVP perlite is useful across industries and has a virtually unlimited number of potential applications, including some fairly unique ones!. As perlite manufacturers, PVP Industries is always working to find more products and processes that would benefit from the unmatched versatility of perlite. To learn more, or to discuss whether perlite could be the solution to your production needs, get in touch with us–we’re happy to find new ways to grow.