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Cork is the bark that covers the wood of the cork oak that protects them against the extreme conditions of the Mediterranean climate, such as drought, high summer temperatures and fires.

As the tree develops, the bark, formed from annual layers, increases its thickness in proportion to the growth of the trunk or branch from which it originates.

Cork comes from the bark of the cork oak. It is a renewable and constant resource, making it ideal in terms of the ever-growing demand for the conservation of natural resources since it is obtained by debarking the cork oak, without cutting down any tree and this “harvest” is carried out every 9 to 12 years.

Cork is made up of polyhedral gaps similar to the cells of a honeycomb. The cells of the suberous tissue (cork) are dead, air-filled units.

The walls of these cells, which are like tiny watertight compartments, are mainly made up of suberin and cerine, substances that make them quite fireproof, very flexible and practically rot-proof.

Lenticels are called the existing pores in the suberous cortex, necessary for its respiration, since it is through these that the cork receives oxygen.

Regarding the chemical composition, it must be said that the first notable discovery in research on the nature or chemical composition of cork, identified «suberin», a fundamental substance, undoubtedly the most important of those that make up the suberous tissue. Suberin is currently known to be a mixture of fatty acids.

Cork is the bark that covers the wood of the cork oak that protects them against the extreme conditions of the Mediterranean climate, such as drought, high summer temperatures and fires.

As the tree develops, the bark, formed from annual layers, increases its thickness in proportion to the growth of the trunk or branch from which it originates.

Cork comes from the bark of the cork oak. It is a renewable and constant resource, making it ideal in terms of the ever-growing demand for the conservation of natural resources since it is obtained by debarking the cork oak, without cutting down any tree and this “harvest” is carried out every 9 to 12 years.

Cork is made up of polyhedral gaps similar to the cells of a honeycomb. The cells of the suberous tissue (cork) are dead, air-filled units.

The walls of these cells, which are like tiny watertight compartments, are mainly made up of suberin and cerine, substances that make them quite fireproof, very flexible and practically rot-proof.

Lenticels are called the existing pores in the suberous cortex, necessary for its respiration, since it is through these that the cork receives oxygen.

Regarding the chemical composition, it must be said that the first notable discovery in research on the nature or chemical composition of cork, identified «suberin», a fundamental substance, undoubtedly the most important of those that make up the suberous tissue. Suberin is currently known to be a mixture of fatty acids.

NATURAL CORK, RAW MATERIAL OF OUR PRODUCT

Cork properties

  • Lightness: this is due to the fact that 88% of its volume is air, which translates into a low density, between 0.12 and 0.24 Kg / liter.
  • Elasticity: elasticity is the ability to recover the initial volume after undergoing a deformation that justifies, among others, its use as a covering.
  • High friction coefficient: the surface of the cork is upholstered by micro-suction cups that allow it to be highly adherent and make it difficult to slide.
  • High impermeability: the diffusion of liquids and gases through the cork is very difficult, it takes place quickly through the lenticular pores and extremely slowly through the plasmodesmata.
  • Aeroelasticity (shock absorber): aeroelasticity means that the zone affected by the deformation is not only the one in which it is contacted, but that the effect extends to the surrounding areas, which allows a good cushioning of impacts.
  • Low water content: the equilibrium humidity of the cork with the environment, once the scrap is removed, does not exceed 9% of its weight, being normally 6%. This low humidity makes the proliferation of microorganisms impossible, which gives it a limited durability.
  • Thermal insulation: the natural function of cork is to protect the living parts of the tree that generates it. Its alveolar structure (preventing air from circulating), the low water content and the lack of conductivity of its compounds allow it to fulfill its function as an insulator effectively. It has a resistance to the passage of heat thirty times higher than that of concrete.

Source: IPROCOR

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