Crumb rubber may face new competition in infill market

The Motz Group has purchased the assets of U.S. Greentech, LLC, acquiring the intellectual property rights for coating and pigmenting silica sand for use as a turf infill. The newly formed company has been incorporated as USGreentech, L.L.C., and has brand-named their coated sand infill, Envirofill®.

Envirofill is positioned to challenge crumb rubber as the infill of choice in 4th generation sports and leisure synthetic turf systems. The company claims that the product addresses the growing concerns surrounding crumb rubber infill.

Envirofill is a naturally occurring, highly rounded silica sand. It is non-toxic, dustless and heavy metal free. The proprietary coating process locks out moisture, reducing microbial survival in the turf canopy. The coated grains have a low abrasion index and resists compaction and displacement mounding. In infill heat build-up studies, clear coated Envirofill tested 80 degrees cooler than black crumb rubber and has proven to lower outdoor playing surface temperatures as much as 20 percent compared to crumb rubber.