Cork is a natural substance that is extracted from the cork oak tree by peeling the bark / bark, then it is processed further. The cork oak is an evergreen broadleaf tree, which is mainly located in southwest Europe and northwest Africa. The Cork Oak is an exceptionally thick layer of cork, so that it is particularly well suited for the extraction of natural cork.
Here, the root of the oak tree is between 20 And 150 Year life of the tree peeled about every 10-12 years, and only then did the cork reaches the strength that makes further processing possible. The first peeling but still brings a cork out with very rough surface, which is not as high quality as the cork of the next peels that have a smoother structure. For the production of natural corks but only plates of high quality are taken, the others are used in flooring or wall covering, particularly poor quality is used as insulation or as granules, is then squeezed out of the cork.
The term poor quality belies it get over how much useful properties of natural cork has, so he has that obesity and this is widely used. Natural cork is resilient through the many small air cells and easy. In addition, it is water resistant, which means an additional plus for a buoyant body and has given him a great application in fisheries. He also has a poor thermal conductivity and sound insulation, so it is interesting as insulation and insulation, especially since he is also flame resistant and burns poorly, which means extra protection, when made in walls and floors.
Natural cork is also very environmentally friendly and has a very long life. About 70 percent of the harvested cork is used for production of bottle stoppers and corks. Here, the high-quality natural cork is punched in a piece of the bark, while the so-called compressed cork from production waste, or cork granules are of inferior quality. Granulated cork is bound for further processing with a special adhesive. For example, composite materials, shoe soles, foot bed of the sandals or floor coverings are made. Natural corks are mainly used in the winery, but also jewelry bottles, oil and vinegar bottles, medicine bottles, test tubes, etc. are often stoppered with cork.
