Blasting is critical in various industrial applications, from automotive to aerospace to military. Whether cleaning tanks and vehicles or preparing metal surfaces for repainting and removing corrosion, these processes make it easier to eliminate contaminants and achieve your desired results.
However, traditional blasting methods are unsafe for humans and can cause significant ecological damage. Standard materials, in particular, create toxic dust and immense waste and induce health complications. As different sectors transition toward sustainable products and practices, the blasting industry is embracing environmental compliance and minimizing its ecological footprint.
Prioritizing high-quality, eco-friendly blasting media for your industrial projects will boost your business’s environmentalism and improve worker protection.
Methodology
Selecting the top options for sustainable blasting materials is essential for environmental and human safety. Therefore, you must consider the following factors:
| Sourcing | Where does the company source blasting materials from? What media does it use in its products? |
| Production | Is the production process energy-intensive? How does it manage waste products? |
| Product Performance | How effective is the product on various surfaces? |
| Safety and Toxicity | Is the media safe for workers and minimize exposure to harmful materials? What ingredients does each product contain? |
| Disposability | Is the material recyclable, biodegradable or reusable? What is the recommended disposal method? |
| Certification | Do the products adhere to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification? Does it uphold other relevant eco-friendly standards, such as ISO 14001 or Cradle to Cradle? |
| Transparency | Is the company transparent? Does it publish its sustainability reports or environmental product declarations online? |
Evaluate each company to ensure its products perform well and deliver your desired outcomes. Read testimonials and online reviews to assess them further and determine whether they provide adequate solutions for blasting activities.
5 Best Sustainable Blasting Materials
Although there are several options for sustainable blasting media, only a handful of businesses deliver the most optimal performance and environmental friendliness. These five companies have proven track records for excellence in greener blasting materials.
1. 10X Engineered Materials
10X Engineered Materials offers some of the safest blasting abrasive materials on the market, delivering a unique media made from mineral wool byproducts. The team values people’s health and safety first, which inspires innovation to achieve the highest quality and most sustainable options.
Environmental stewardship is at the heart of 10X’s achievements. Upon launching, the company sought to improve the reusability of byproducts to streamline waste flows within industrial applications. It classifies itself as a clean-tech science and engineering enterprise.
Its superoxalloy abrasives do not embed in surfaces like other angular or subangular media. Unlike traditional crystalline structures, the amorphous particles behind these special abrasives are also less likely to fracture, enabling them to surpass the performance of harder particles.
The 10X superoxalloy abrasives also allow you to blast surfaces with less product through more efficient delivery, angular and rounded particles for better flow, and lower density. Likewise, 10X upholds the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Protocol (TCLP) to ensure no leaching into the environment, and its products are certified by the California Air Resources Board.
Discover how 10X manufactures its media using patented equipment. Its website has several video testimonials and resources to help you learn what differentiates this business from its competitors. You can then contact 10X to speak with a specialist about your equipment setup, configurations and the most appropriate abrasives from its inventory.
Key features:
- Provides the only bio-soluble abrasive on the market
- Free technical support
- SSPC AB-1 certified, CARB California Air Resources Board approved and NAVSEA Military QPD: MIL-PRF-22262C listed and approved
- Low dust emissivity for a safer work environment
2. BlastOne
BlastOne sells abrasive media, blasting equipment and blast booths and provides facility design, construction and training for safe operations. Founded in 1975, BlastOne serves the oil and gas, marine and defense industries, among others.
The company sells sandblasting abrasive materials nationwide, including garnet, aluminum, glass, slag, staurolite, corn cob and walnut shell. Depending on your needs, it also provides Armex soda, steel and sponge abrasives.
The BlastOne mission is to help customers achieve faster results in a safer, cleaner manner. The organization takes its environmental responsibility seriously with its recycling program, which tracks, collects and recycles used garnet from BlastOne customers worldwide for a circular economy.
The company consumes 30% less energy than its competitors. It installs and upgrades customer facilities to lower their carbon footprints and ensure they meet individual environmental goals. BlastOne continuously invests in sustainability and efficiency research to develop advanced blasting technologies and automated systems.
Thanks to BlastOne’s learning center, performance masterclass, buying guides and online training classes, customers can rest assured they have the necessary training, resources and tools to succeed. Once you have reviewed its materials and services, you can contact BlastOne by filling out the online form or calling one of its global offices to speak with a representative.
Key features:
- Sells safer, cleaner sandblasting products in various media
- Robust environmental, social and governance for enhanced sustainability
- Extensive learning resources and training
- Comprehensive customer services, including project consultancy, on-site support, remote technical support and emergency callouts
3. Black Beauty Abrasives
Black Beauty Abrasives is perhaps most recognized for its line of high-quality blasting media with low dusting and low free silica content. It exceeds federal and California standards for worker safety, with just 0.1% free silica to avoid silicosis. Wide-ranging industrial and commercial industries rely on these products to safely remove rust, paint and scale from various surfaces, particularly concrete and steel.
The products use abrasive raw materials that undergo rigorous testing at Black Beauty’s technology center. This ensures they meet the market’s standards of excellence for environmental protection. In addition to passing California Title 17 for low dusting, the materials maintain SSPC AB-1 and TCLP certification and are military Qualified Products List approved at select plants.
Black Beauty’s crushed glass abrasives are especially sustainable and applicable to bridges, tanks, steel construction and other industrial projects. Depending on your desired finish, you can purchase this media in medium, medium-fine, fine and extra-fine particle sizes.
Contact Black Beauty through its customer service line to order the most suitable media for your blasting operations. You can also call a number to reach the manufacturing plants directly. If you reach out to Black Beauty by submitting the online form, a representative will respond within 24 hours.
Key features:
- Primarily serves the marine, infrastructure, oil and gas, transportation and building products industries
- Meets California Title 17 certification, SSPC AB-1, TCLP and MIL-A-22262B(SH)
- Low-dusting and low-free-silica products
- Different grades for various substrates
4. SurfacePrep
With 54 facilities across the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom, SurfacePrep has established itself as one of the top suppliers of sustainable blasting materials. SurfacePrep promises customers excellent hands-on service and expertise in selecting the best media for their surface finishing projects. It also provides equipment, replacement components and accessories to enhance performance.
The company’s line of abrasives includes blast, vibratory finishing, and coated, nonwoven and bonded media. The blast abrasives comprise garnet, aluminum oxide, crushed glass and steel shot. To ensure optimal performance, the production process for these materials occurs at 12 development labs.
SurfacePrep’s U.K. location delivers reprocessing and proper disposal services for glass, aluminum and polymer abrasives to support a circular economy. It is a licensed waste broker and carrier and works with various recycling plants in the U.K. to bolster sustainability and cost-effectiveness. Collection amounts may range from a single pallet to an entire truckload, with flexible scheduling for material pickup.
The organization’s experienced team members will develop the perfect solution for you using the most suitable materials. You will receive in-depth consultation throughout the project and have all your questions answered. The easiest way to reach a SurfacePrep specialist is to call the office or fill out the online contact form.
Key features:
- 54 facilities across the U.S., Canada and the U.K.
- 12 process development labs to ensure optimal product performance
- K.-based recycling program for used blasting media
- ISO 9001:2015, AS 9100D and ISO 13485:2016 certifications
5. GMA Garnet Group
Australia-based GMA Garnet Group is a global supplier of hardy, tough almandine garnet for waterjet cutting and sandblasting. Its specialized garnet is renowned for several reasons, including its peak surface quality, high blast production capabilities and low dusting.
GMA prioritizes resource use by lowering abrasive consumption by 30% to 50% to protect the environment. The company’s garnet also contains little to no heavy metals, making it a better choice for reducing contamination and improving worker protection. Customers can also boost corporate responsibility by participating in GMA’s garnet recovery program for proper disposal and reuse.
Select the appropriate abrasive from a range of products, such as the coarsest media for extreme jobs or medium blends to remove rust and industrial coatings. Finer products are also available to remove lighter coatings and achieve a superior surface finish.
To further promote a more eco-friendly and safer blasting industry, GMA honors its partners’ efforts and environmental responsibility with its annual GMA Sustainability Awards. You could earn recognition with a Partner Excellence Award, Industry Leader Award, Top Global Returns Award, Sustainability Champion Award or Best New Entrant Participant Award.
Contact one of GMA Garnet Group’s regional offices to discuss your blasting material needs with a team member. You can also fill out the online form, and someone will reach out to you promptly.
Key features:
- Specializing in almandine garnet for waterjet cutting and abrasive blasting
- Product lowers abrasive consumption by 30% to 50%
- Rehabilitates mine areas to reduce its long-term ecological impact
- Recognizes customers’ environmental stewardship with the GMA Sustainability Awards
Why Is Sustainable Blasting Important?
Blasting has long been considered the most unsafe occupational operation since the 1920s due to high exposure to airborne crystalline silica. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recorded 2 million American workers at risk of silicosis due to breathing silica from 2001 to 2010.
Blasting also presents several environmental risks — such as generating toxic waste from heavy metals like lead, zinc, chromium and cadmium — and increases air pollution. As such, industrywide demand for more recyclable, low-emission and environmentally friendly materials is growing.
Using highly recyclable abrasives is cost-effective and reduces waste by enhancing circularity. After use, operators can collect, clean and reuse the materials. Utilizing natural, less toxic blasting solutions will also mitigate exposure to air pollution, releasing fewer contaminants and heavy metals into the environment.
Researchers have used a fluidized-bed sloped-grid system to explore recycling processes for blasting abrasives — a machine that dries, heats and sorts the materials simultaneously. Their findings show it could clean 80% of the waste residue, demonstrating reusability for removing coatings and preparing surfaces.
How Do You Find Environmentally Safe Blasting Materials?
When searching for environmentally compliant blasting materials, it is crucial to look for special labels indicating products’ sustainability, recyclability or biodegradability.
Media might include baking soda, walnut shells, corn cobs and recycled glass, which carry a low environmental impact. Other materials might have minimal free silica concentrations or be silica-free. Companies may also indicate whether blasting media complies with LEED or military standards, in which case, you are guaranteed an eco-friendly option to adhere to such stringent standards.
Of course, not all products are suitable for every project. It is crucial to consult with experts and businesses to determine which media is best for specific surfaces, especially if you are blasting more fragile wood exteriors versus heavy-duty aluminum. You must also consider abrasiveness — the gentler the media, the less likely it is to cause damage.
Regardless of what material you choose, always wear the appropriate protective gear. Abrasive blasting can cause respiratory problems, skin irritation and eye injuries from exposure to airborne particles. Likewise, the equipment can reach 90 A-weighted decibels or higher noise levels, which may lead to permanent hearing loss.
Sustainability Is the Future of Blasting
Industrial blasting is evolving to address today’s most pressing environmental concerns. Improving sustainability through blasting media is among the best ways to enhance ecological health and safeguard the workforce involved in these processes. Embracing sustainable alternatives will help speed up the adoption of these green innovations for a cleaner and safer tomorrow.
