Conferences

22nd Global Gypsum Conference, Exhibition & Awards
13 - 14 November 2024, Bangkok, Thailand

The first speaker at the conference was Manuel Achúcarro of XITASO GmbH, who spoke on the use of digital passports for gypsum-based products. The EU has started to oblige producers of products - including building materials - to gather together all of the pertinent information on a product’s environmental impacts, from production and use, under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). All products must have completed their digital passports by 2030 at the latest. If a product has not completed its passport by the deadline, then it will not be permitted to sell it within the EU. Industries are still tussling over the requirements, which could potentially mean having to track the manufacture and use of individual boards. Despite the hassle and expense, the scheme also offers many opportunities for producers. “Start digitalising your data,” advised Manuel, and prepare to complete the process.

Seyfettin Hizarci from Ovo Chemicals next asked, “Is it possible to have a non-competitive gypsum industry?” He made a powerful call for producers to work together to promote the use of wallboard, compared to other building materials. “Never talk about products - talk about the system,” he stated, and particularly about the advantages and performance of plasterboard-based systems. Seyfettin stated that walls made of AAC (autoclaved aerated concrete) blocks are the main competitor to plasterboards, and listed the advantages of wallboard systems over blocks.

A tag-team of Serge D’Haeyere and Peter Mersmann from Owens Corning then spoke about exterior sheathing for gypsum products. The market for exterior sheathing for gypsum boards in the EU is forecast to grow to 130Mm2 by 2027. Plywood/OSB, cement boards and glass-faced gypsumboards can all be used for exterior sheathing. However, glass-faced gypsumboard offers impact resistance, improved fire-resistance and moisture resistance, and the facers can be supplied in a variety of colours. Glass facers can be used on any standard gypsumboard line, with only small modifications required. The speakers suggested that glass-faced boards have superior characteristics to other sheathing.

R. Subramanian of Coromandel International of India next spoke about the use of phosphogypsum (PG), or as he called it, “white gold.” Global production - largely from sulphuric acid manufacture which produces 5t of PG for each tonne of acid - amounts to 350Mt/year. 58% is stacked, 28% is discharged at sea, and the rest is used, partly as a soil conditioner, as a building material and in road construction. There are billions of tonnes in legacy stacks around the world, and both strict and lax regulations prevent the use of much of this material. The Indian government aims for the reduction of legacy piles by 2028. Subramanian pointed out that the Indian cement industry has a gypsum demand of around 25Mt/year, offering a great opportunity for PG. He also suggested that the wallboard industry in India should use more PG (which his company can supply). Panels, blocks and plaster have all been manufactured in India using PG. Without further processing, PG can have a pH of 3, moisture of up to 20%, P2O5 content of 0.4% and fluorides levels of up to 0.6%. He mentioned radioactivity levels, suggesting that levels are close to those in some naturally-occurring rocks.

Jay Agustin, Watlow, noted that sustainability legislation around the world has started to trigger the adoption of electrification of various industrial processes, especially with regard to tightening targets. Electric process heaters, such as the ones Watlow supplies, have been in use for 75 years but were generally below 250kW until recently. Sizes have increased to reach 5-200MW. Agustin identified control management as being a key part of this changing dynamic. In addition to heaters, Watlow also provides dynamic real time load and temperature control management systems. These avoid stress on local power grids and allow for smooth power delivery. Additionally, load shedding helps to avoid exceeding defined thresholds.

Steven Sun, Anderson Thermal Solutions (Suzhou), questioned whether the air-to-gas combustion ratio of 10:1 was still ideal for control optimisation to reduce CO2 emissions in machinery such as gypsum board dryers and calciners. His experience from previously working in the glass industry suggested that a ratio of 11:1 was better in this situation, as the fuel consumption remained similar. This approach also reduces NOx emissions. Sun recommended either adding a variable frequency drive or a control valve to meet this ratio. He then presented a case study of a 9Mm2/yr gypsum wallboard plant in Vietnam, at which Anderson Thermal Solutions (Suzhou)’s combustion control optimisation system had been installed. It saw its total gas consumption fall by 14%. Finally, Sun discussed burner tests that his company has run, in which methane gas was used alongside hydrogen. These have found that a H2 volume of up to 25% worked well with limited change required.

Sebastian Schuch, Grenzebach BSH, provided a comprehensive look at the past, present and future of gypsum calcination trends. After introducing some previous technologies, Sebastian turned to the current state-of-the art. For example, inline burners can greatly speed up the pre-heating of the process, saving significantly in terms of energy costs and manpower. Alternative energy sources, including electrically-generated heat from renewable power sources, CO2-neutral fuels like biomass / biogas, and waste heat, can all be considered using Grenzebach’s equipment. Sebastian provided an example of an electrically-powered calcination process in North America. Understanding the behaviour of recycled gypsum material is also increasingly important, with details of a 100% recycled gypsum calcination trial. In terms of the future, Sebastian suggested making use of currently-lost sensible heat using pressurised local hot water circuits, a compact add-on that could save 3-5% on dryer energy consumption, as well as the use of latent heat from the condensation of water in the exhaust gas. Up to 80% of the water from the exhaust can be recovered using a high-temperature heat pump, in theory at least.

Tom Robinson, Adaptavate, gave a passionate presentation about his company’s aim to decarbonise the building materials industry, starting with the plaster and wallboard sectors. In 2023, humanity used the resources of 1.75 Earths. This will rise to 2 Earths by 2030. 39% of greenhouse gas emissions and 30% of all waste are from building materials. Adaptavate’s technology, based on calcium-carbonate derived minerals combined with biomass residues and industrial CO2, can be used to produce low-CO2 and CO2-negative alternative wallboards. Adaptavate has already developed Breathaplasta and Breathaboard for the UK market, with discussions ongoing in other countries towards the development of similar products with existing industrial partners. Tom likened this to ‘Intel-inside’ or ‘Gore-Tex,’ both of which are licensed technologies used by other companies to provide tailored products in different markets. The concept is to develop drop-in solutions with the highest possible sustainability standards.

Niklas Johansson, Gyptech, presented a rapid-fire series of wallboard dryer upgrade case-studies, all of which were achieved with a rapid turnover to minimise costly downtime. Clients approach Gyptech to gain improvements in quality, production volumes, energy use, CO2 emissions, maintenance and automation. In one case-study, a 100% increase in production capacity was achieved via the addition of one extra dryer zone. Full demolition of the previous dryer, construction of new foundations and commissioning was carried out in just six weeks using 13 pre-assembled sections. Elsewhere, a 10% reduction in energy consumption was achieved alongside an increase in production capacity, by switching from two boards wide to three boards wide in the dryer and increasing the number of decks from eight to 10. In another project, a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions was obtained using electrification in just six weeks.

Global Gypsum Awards Dinner
Delegates enjoyed a spectacular cruise along Bangkok's Chao Phrya River, during which the Global Gypsum Awards were presented, after global online nominations and voting. Beijing New Building Materials (BNBM) was named 'Company of the Year,' while supplier of the year (equipment/services) was GypTech - for the 9th time. The 'Innovation of the year' award went to Watlow, for its efforts on electrification of thermal systems, and the USG Boral Cilegon plant in Indonesia was named 'gypsum plant of the year.' Grenzebach was awarded the 'Outstanding contribution to the global gypsum industry' award, and the gypsum-based product of the year was Georgia-Pacific's DensDeck StormX hail-resistant roof board. After consideration by the Global Gypsum judging panel, the 'personality of the year' awards went to Hamad Al-Sourayia of United Mining Industries, Saudi Arabia; to Marcelo Pereira of Alier, and a joint award to Neil Wooliscroft and Ton Brusche of Derco. To huge cheers, the location of the conference in October 2025 was revealed as Amsterdam.

GGC 2024 awards dinner guests

Second day

Richard Spaargaren of ESI Eurosilo kicked off the second day of the conference with an overview of storage options for non-free-flowing sticky FGD gypsum. He pointed out that before you design the silo, you have to know the exact characteristics of the material that you are working with. Shear cell testing is the first step, to determine whether it is free-flowing, easy-flowing, cohesive, non-flowing, or very cohesive. The duration of storage is also critical, since cohesion increases with storage time. High-density polyurethane screw auger conveyors can be effective in material transport, but it is important to avoid clogging and fouling of the screws. A wide variety of storage options are available, including on piles outside, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Richard gave details of the sophisticated and highly-evolved ESI Eurosilo offering, which allows effective recovery of sticky FGD gypsum that has been stored even for a couple of years. The largest example of a silo that he showed had a capacity of 12,000m3.

Dennis Schattauer of Grenzebach then spoke on the new patented exhaust air condenser as a solution for water use efficiency for plasterboard manufacture. Water scarcity is an increasingly important issue all around the world, and the five counties at most risk are Moldova, Ukraine, Bangladesh, India and Serbia. Standard plate heat exchangers are not optimised for water condensation, while also having a huge footprint, high investment and operating costs, and high internal resistance. The new patented Grenzebach water condenser is optimised for water recovery, and uses stainless steel pipes to avoid issues with corrosion. It has a much smaller footprint, with lower investment, water recovery of 30-85%, and lower internal resistance and operating costs compared to standard condensers. The condenser can be retro-integrated as a bypass in front of the chimney, and a combination of heat exchanger and condenser is possible as well. The recovered water does not require chemical treatment, has low chloride content (so no issue with paper bonding) and the recovered water has a temperature of 45-55°C.

Andreas Schieler of Gebr. Pfeiffer spoke about grinding and calcining plants. The company’s GC mill effects grinding, drying, calcining and separating in one vertical roller mill, while the B mill just grinds and dries gypsum. Recycled gypsum may have abrasive inclusions (such as particles from tiles or concrete), which can cause issues with wear, but additional wear protection can be retro-fitted if a mill starts to use recycled gypsum. Hot gas generators can be fuelled using natural gas, light fuel oil, waste cooking oil, biogas, hydrogen or by electrical heating. GP Link and GP Pro are the company’s AI-powered digitalisation solutions for reporting and plant optimisation, which, in one case, brought a 15-18% reduction in specific power consumption on a gypsum mill.

Jeff Warren of Gyptech spoke about the possibility of ‘making the best stucco ever.’ Stucco is at the start of the board making process, and quality carries forward, as Jeff put it. Uniformity, phase balance, particle size distribution and temperature are the primary stucco factors which will translate into optimised strength, weight, cost and uniformity of the resultant boards. ‘Good’ stucco will have high hemihydrate, low soluble, low deadburn, low dihydrate and maximised hydratables, with around 92% of less than <150um, at 70-80°C and maximised uniformity. The Gyptech GT series hammer mills is a critical start to the process, but Jeff quoted industry veteran Alfred Brosig saying “the dust collector is the calciner,” given that the material spends longest in the bag house. Conditioning and cooling are the next important step, while a hot pit allows the dihydrate conversion, degassing, and homogenisation to be completed. Jeff emphasised that data is king, and that a variety of sensors are critical to provide insight into the process. Foremost among the sensors are particle size determination, the GMA moisture analyser instrument for free and combined water analysis, the Gyptech stucco analyser (GSA) for phase analysis and the Gyptech thermal set analyser. However, there is still room for improvement, Jeff concluded.

Bo Johansson of Limab described how his company’s laser-based measurement system products work. The GMS 1100 product uses optical triangulation principles with one- and two-dimensional sensors. This allows for non-contact thickness, profile, taper, width, edge profiles and edge angle measurements on gypsum production lines in a variety of positions. The logged data can be stored in an SQL server or made accessible via an OPC server. A recent update has been the development of the second generation of the FalconEye visual inspection system. This camera-based system was updated in 2023 and an example of a site installation in Sweden in October 2024 was shown at the conference. The new version of the product is used to inspect boards for surface defects on both wet and dry surfaces. It is supported by software that can classify defects and alert users depending on pre-set thresholds.

Houssem Taouai, Lanxess SAS, identified the growth potential for gypsumboard products in the Asia Pacific region as urbanisation intensifies. However, local climate conditions such as high humidity levels and temperatures call for mould-resistant boards. Taouai impressed that Lanxess needs to know how a particular board is manufactured so that it can then recommend an appropriate biocide product from its portfolio. Fungicides are either added to board paper or the gypsum core. Sometimes, in challenging cases, they are added to both. He also noted that recycled paper presents additional issues in this area. Lanxess offer mould detection, technical support, application settings and local regulation support services. The latter can be particularly helpful given the wide range of national laws in the region.

Hanyoung Kim, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, presented the results from his research into a new gypsum superplasticiser made from partially sulfonated polystyrenes. The motivation was to improve on the negative aspects of a common plasticiser, such as Naphthalene Sulfonate (PNS), such as its carcinogenic properties and discolouration. Sulfonated polystyrene (PS) was studied. The key aspects of the eventual selected formulation of PS was comparable fluidity and setting characteristics to PNS, but without the associated issues with formaldehyde and less impact on the eventual colour of the gypsum. Kim noted that the bubble size in the resulting gypsumboard depends on the kind of gypsum used. The project used natural gypsum and did not test FGD gypsum. Kim worked in conjunction with South Korea-based Silkroad, which is now marketing a commercial product based on this research.

Kevin Sim and Stefano Gaidano, Ammega, discussed their company’s conveyor belting and power transmission approaches. Sim outlined the key ‘pain points’ that end-users face in the belt market: production downtime; cross-contamination; handling abrasive sticky, hot products; high maintenance costs; and working with splices and fasteners. He then showed how the group’s ZipLink rubber belt products use a proprietary splicing system that allows for retrofitting a belt on site. The company offers variations of the concept with differing cover and bottom materials. Finally, Gaidano spoke about the V-belts products that are manufactured for power transmission applications on gypsum board production lines.

Tomás Vivot, Alier, outlined the benefits of his company’s wallboard liners. He explained that Alier uses post-consumer paper streams that have been traditionally viewed as ‘impossible-to-recycle.’ It has developed 100% recycled, 100% recyclable products to ensure full circularity. The company has reduced its Scope 1 emissions by 66% through cutting natural gas out of its production process, while Scope 2 emissions have been minimised using roof-top solar panels. The company’s most successful product line reduces the weight of wallboard liner needed for 1Mm2 of wallboard from 340t to 270t. Its Hydro Paper is water-repellent, which reduces the need for silicones / waxes in the core of the wallboard. Alier’s Hydrofungic Paper is resistant to mould, moisture and water. Its Deco Papers range provides sustainable and recyclable options for ceiling tiles. Finally, Alier Coat is for exterior wallboard and is fully water-proof. Many of these products offer greatly enhanced economics for wallboard manufacturers, potentially increasing margins by a factor of five.

In the final presenattion of the conference, Kyle True, Climate Surfaces, introduced his company’s use of powder coatings for building materials, including wallboard. This is a secondary process after the main manufacturing process, in which dry polymeric paints are applied to the surface electrostatically and then heated at 100-180°C in a short curing step. The coating process has 75% lower CO2 emissions compared to other coating technologies, and panels produced using it have around 50% of the CO2 emissions of other technologies. The company, operating from New Zealand, says that powder-coated wallboard, when properly designed for demolition (DfD) can be re-used and easily recycled. A variety of functionalities can be included in the powder coatings, for example the ability of the surface to adhere optimally to primers and paints. The company is investigating resins from bio-sources, although these are currently limited by supply. Kyle also introduced his audience to a wide range of potentially-disruptive fixing systems and alternative methodologies that may alter the way that the gypsum industry operates, as we currently understand it.

Prizes and Farewells...
At the end of the second day of the conference, delegates gathered together one last time for a Farewell Reception, during which the prizes for the best presentations were awarded, based on audience voting. Richard Spaargaren of ESI Eurosilo was third for his paper on storage of sticky gypsum, while Tomás Vivot of Alier was second for his presentation on 'value-added paper.' The winner of the best presentation award was Kyle True - the final speaker - for his presentation on powder coating of plasterboards. Michael Balzer of Moritz J. Weig company was honoured for his parallel career alongside the Global Gypsum Conference - he attend the very first event, in 1999 in Bangkok, and is retiring after this year's event, back in Bangkok, 25 years later. A lot of water has flowed along the Chao Phraya river during that time!

Delegates were unanimous in hailing Amsterdam as a great choice for the next Global Gypsum Conference, and all agreed to meeting again, on 22-23 October 2025. See you in Amsterdam!

Ladies of gypsum 2024 900px

Above: 'Ladies of gypsum' - Bangkok 2024

Image gallery for the 22nd Global Gypsum Conference and Exhibition, 13 - 14 November 2024, Bangkok, Thailand

Image gallery for the 21st Global Gypsum Conference and Exhibition, 9 - 10 November 2023, Chicago, US

21st Global Gypsum Conference, Exhibition & Awards
9 - 10 November 2023, Chicago, US

The combined 21st Global Gypsum Conference and 16th Global Insulation Conference has successfully taken place in at the Westin Lombard Hotel on the outskirts of Chicago, USA, with 430 delegates from 44 countries, nearly 60 exhibitors and a combined programme of 30 papers over two days.

Yassine Touahri first gave a forecast for insulation and gypsum wallboard. He suggested that there would be weak demand due to high interest rates and energy prices, partly due to geopolitical instability. Prices have been passed on to consumers so far, but this ability may decrease into 2024. “Pricing discipline will be crucial to avoid a significant drop in profit.” Yassine pointed out that buildings are responsible for around 35% of CO₂ emissions, and will need to be decarbonised by 2050 to achieve net zero. Half of buildings in Europe were built more than 50 years ago, and are very energy inefficient: energy-focussed renovation will be a huge focus and growth-driver in the coming years. Skilled labour shortages are the main hurdle for the US, while cost-of-living factors are impacting in Europe, since real-world wages have decreased markedly over the last few years. “Building products companies are converging to become solutions providers,” allowing higher pricing and better margins. They are endeavouring to complete their product portfolios, to become customer-centric companies with added-value solutions. Silos between divisions have been partially broken down. Saint-Gobain, Kingspan and others are on the road to becoming full-service providers.

Maarten Hendriks of New West Gypsum Recycling next gave a universe-wide and 15 billion-year overview of gypsum recycling. He pointed out that Europe’s target of becoming net-zero by 2050 is “completely unachievable.” However, every little bit that we can achieve – starting with gypsum recycling – will reduce the rate at which the world is degrading.

Tristan Suffys of Eurogypsum and Jörg Ertle of Etex (current president of Eurogypsum), next announced the association’s ‘roadmap’ towards climate neutrality. Tristan pointed out that the Paris agreement of 2015 is a legally-binding international treaty which aims to limit global warming to only 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Emissions should peak by 2025, and should have reduced by over 40% by 2032. However, the 1.5°C limit will be crossed in the early 2030s, and overall, there is little hope of emissions dropping in the foreseeable future. At the same time, there is a legal objective for the EU to reach ‘climate neutrality’ by 2050. Other challenges include housing shortages, ageing infrastructure, rapid urbanisation, productivity and skills gaps and resource scarcity. Joerg announced that the European industry will reduce resource and energy use through manufacturing transformation, will switch to renewable energy sources, and will use a higher share of recycled and alternative materials. He pointed out a few case studies: Knauf’s Hobro plant in Denmark which supplies waste heat to the neighbourhood; Saint-Gobain’s Fredrikstad electrified plant in Norway; and the Etex Auneuil plant in France which uses alternative fuels. He reminded delegates that plasterboard is responsible for only 1 - 2% of the emissions from the production of construction materials in the EU, although significant energy is still used for the drying of the boards. Through its partner associations and the companies active in the industry sector, many innovations are currently being pursued to achieve climate neutrality by the mid-century deadline.

Terry Weaver of USA Gypsum spoke about developing and expanding the recovery and end markets for recycled gypsum drywall in North America. A number of factors are driving the recycling of construction and demolition (C&D) materials, including the cost of landfilling, restrictions in FGD gypsum and in escalating mining costs. Landfills have also been subject to lawsuits concerning H2S content of cells from wallboard. Terry suggested that there may be as much as 15Mt of wallboard C&D material produced each year, although reliable figures are difficult to find. According to one set of figures, 13Mt of material goes to landfill, 1.9Mt is used as soil amendment material, with only 0.3Mt going back into manufactured materials - a 4% recycling rate. Barriers to recycling include the lack of recycling infrastructure, transportation and logistics challenges due to low material amounts and long distances; and problems with recycling of specialty boards with special additives. At the same time, the off-takers require consistent quality supply, leading to a chicken-and-egg situation. The patchwork of state and federal approaches can also be challenging for recycling. The ‘elephant in the room’ is asbestos contamination and this requires systematic abatement, and thorough documentation - contamination must be avoided by all industry participants at all costs and a good quality assurance programme is crucial.

Robert Morrow brought delegates up to date with the gypsum supply situation. Back in the 1990s, Canadian gypsum quarries supplied the east coast and Gulf plants, while Mexican quarries supplied the west coast. FGD gypsum was becoming important. Thailand was a major gypsum shipper back in those days, to the Middle East and Asian producers. Canadian gypsum shipments have been replaced by those from Spain, while Thailand has reduced its supplies, to be replaced by Oman as the supplier of choice. Looking into the future, coal-fired stations are being closed in North America and Europe, to be replaced by gas, leading to a dramatic reduction in FGD gypsum supply. ‘A race for supply’ may be imminent - if it hasn’t already started.

Anders Andersen of Qubiqa next spoke about the use of ‘digital twins’ which allow simulation and emulation of physical production systems. This allows the testing and optimisation of material flows, capacities and bottlenecks. They can also help to speed up installation and commissioning. Training of operators can also commence on a digital model, rather than in the real world. Morton Seeberg of Qubiqa then suggested that digital twins could be used to predict maintenance - akin to how some smartwatches build a model of the health of the wearer - and to optimise machinery operation to reduce energy usage and to extend machinery lifetime. It is currently challenging to create a digital twin of a complete line due to the availability of computing power, but this will be possible in the future as computer costs reduce further.

Richard Caron and Bill Poust, both from JBT, presented on the topic of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs). The company has produced AGVs for almost 40 years but has only been active in the gypsum sector for the past seven. They said that, with a shortage of labour in many markets, the case for AGVs is greater than ever. As well as replacing drivers leaving the workforce, they improve safety by reducing human error, as AGVs operate using laser bumpers, with front and rear warning and stop points that automatically change with speed. These are used in conjunction with JBT’s Natural Feature Navigation (NFN) tool, a 3D map of the environment around the vehicle, constantly updated by inventory management software. Flexible AGVs, coordinated wirelessly with the stacker and human operators, allow the optimum delivery of wallboard to trucks, saving operators time and money. The speakers made it clear that JBT’s primary interest is reducing return on investment periods to as short as possible, minimising the number of AGVs required to do the job.

Watlow’s Tim Bruewer then spoke about the electrification and decarbonisation of thermal processes in gypsum. Tim pointed out that electrical heating apparatus has been used by industry for nearly 100 years and that we need to ‘leverage the technology of the past to change the future’ due to increasing raw material and fossil fuel costs, as well as costs to emit CO₂. While it is technically possible to use electrically-produced heat in all parts of a wallboard plant, the economics of doing so will ultimately depend on the prevailing conditions around individual plants. However, regardless of running costs, electrically-heated grinding mills, calciners and dryers offer greater uptime than gas-fired counterparts. The temperature can be controlled more effectively, for example across dryer decks, and there is less thermal lag. The lack of fuel means that the risk of explosion is eliminated and less space is required. Watlow offers a wide range of thermal air heaters, from 5MW to 200MW. These can easily reach 250 - 350°C – and can go as high as 900°C. The company has seen a major increase in enquiries from the gypsum sector in the past 1 - 2 years.

Luis Castano, IAC, provided an engaging presentation on the evolution of baghouse design, as well as some hints for users to improve the operation of their baghouses. Luis contended that baghouses are not seen as important within wallboard plants, but they ‘have the power to stop production and cause major headaches.’ Luis took the audience from the first ‘shaker’ baghouses, through the reverse air cleaning processes of the 1950s to the most modern processes. However, since the 1990s, there has been something of an innovation plateau. IAC’s suggestions for ways to move forward include low-cost Smart Pulse Jet systems. These use a strong elastomer as the moving part of the valve, rather than thin rubber membranes and springs. This offers shorter pulse duration that results in more effective cleaning. Smart Pulse Jet systems last for 10 million pulses, or 10 years of continuous use if used every 30 seconds. IAC also suggests the use of its Baghouse Monitoring System for tracking hopper levels, input, pressures, temperatures, valves, fan vibrations and more. This enables status updates and warnings to chosen devices via a continuous wireless link. It will pay for itself by averting just one or two incidences of lost production / equipment damage.

ScrapeTec Trading’s Wilfried Dünnwald outlined his company’s dust mitigation and reliability enhancement technology for conveyor belts. He explained that transfer points inflict most of the damage on belts due to the impact of dropping material and resulting acceleration and friction. There is also the potential for significant loss of material, which is dangerous, costly and time-consuming to clear up. To mitigate dust loss, many conveyor belt users add skirts. However, as these make physical contact with the belt, this introduces a significant new source of wear. ScrapeTec’s solution is the AirScrape, which is placed just a few millimetres above the belt. Using the Venturi effect, the AirScrape sucks air from outside the belt, meaning that dust cannot escape. Wilfried also discussed the TailScrape for the tail end of the belt, which operates along the same principle, as well as the DustScrape filtration box and PrimeTracker, which keeps conveyor belts well aligned.

Dennis Schattauer of Grenzebach next spoke about the company’s Ultra High-efficiency Dryer (UHED). He reiterated the fact that energy is becoming more expensive, with gas prices perhaps 3 - 4 times as expensive than prior to 2022, if gas is available at all. At the same time CO₂ emissions are being targeted. “Production needs to become more independent from fossil fuel sources.” Grenzebach did not reinvent the wheel, but smartly arranged the technology in combination with heat recovery, “respecting the relevant physics.” The ‘UHED’ offers up to a 30% reduction in energy demand, with up to 50% water recovery. A high temperature section is used as the only heat source - which potentially could be electrically-heated or use energy from heat pumps. The number of decks in the drier is increased, with heat recovery for use in lower temperature sections, resulting in overall thermal energy consumption of 400kCal/kg H₂O. The increased thermal efficiency of the dryer also leads to a reduction in electrical consumption in the drier. The UHED also offers the advantages of reduced calcination of board edges due to lower maximum temperatures, a reduced risk of board jams since boards do not need to be conveyed edge to edge, and the fact that heat exchangers can be cleaned without stopping the entire production, due to a new modular design. Two of the UHED driers have been sold to a global player in the gypsum industry, with the first delivery due in 2024.

Michael Chen, Schenck Process FPM presented a grinding and calcining system for natural gypsum, synthetic (FGD) gypsum and waste wallboard. Schenck has modified existing Raymond brand products such as the Imp Mill and the Stucco Conditioning Dust Collector but the main work has been carried out on its Static Classifier. The complete set-up has a throughput of 0.5 - 60t/hr and can pulverise gypsum from 50mm to a fineness of 5μm. Chen explained that switching from an FGD source to a natural one in the Imp Mill presented challenges for the existing system such as generating more fines. The team addressed this by optimising the mill via its hammer arrangement and speed for fine end particle size control. It then modified the classifier design to cope with the airflow variation and used it to control the product top size amongst other changes. The New Advanced Static Classifier had been successfully prototype tested in the laboratory. For wallboard-quality particle size distribution it produces similar results to a turbine classifier, can produce a better coarser size cut than a turbine and it can be used for the wallboard stucco calcination process. Chen finished by explaining how the Imp Mill can co-grind waste wallboard with both natural and FGD gypsum.

Jeff Warren and Mark Flumiani of Gyptech next gave details on how to optimise the post-calcination processes. Jeff pointed out that post-calcination processing is not new, with ‘kettle hot pits’ dating back to at least 1924. “It’s in stucco’s nature to change, but if you don’t control it, you can’t optimise it,” said Jeff. Several different types of systems are used in the industry already, to optimise stucco physical performance, using the levers of temperature, residence time and humidity. These include rotary stucco coolers, conditioning screws, and even just silos. Mark spoke about the various methods of determining the mineralogical mix in a sample, including thermal gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry, as well as using the Gyptech Stucco Analyser. Mark argued that the latter method is sensitive enough to allow optimisation of post-calcination processes, promoting the uniformity of produced materials, and the best mix of phases.

Derek Vaile of Kamengo told delegates how to avoid plugging of gypsum in bins and silos. The three root causes of plugging are poor bin geometry, compaction by the feeder and uneven discharge by the feeder. The bin outlet must be larger than the bridging dimension, while the bin outlet must exceed the piping or rat-holing dimension, in order to avoid funnelling. A variety of bin shapes are available, but a badly-designed feeder may inadvertently compress material, causing it to bridge in any case. Kamengo designed a new feeder, which withdraws material evenly along the entire opening of the bin, and avoids both bridging and piping. Combined with a well-designed bin shape, gravity will be enough to reliably discharge the bin even with problematic materials such as gypsum.

Global Gypsum/Global Insulation – Awards Dinner

At the end of the first day of the conference, delegates gathered for a drinks reception and Awards Gala Dinner. The locations for the following year’s event were also announced (Bangkok for Global Gypsum, Munich for Global Insulation). The outstanding band (‘Orchestra 33’) were joined onstage by Jake and Elwood – the ‘Blues Brothers’ - who gave a high-energy performance, which encouraged some memorable dancing from delegates (and organisers).

Second day

the start of the second day, Andreas Schieler, Gebr. Pfeiffer discussed how his company’s vertical roller mill can handle abrasive materials such as natural or recycled gypsum due to the company’s experience grinding cement and granulated blast furnace slag. As he described it, “Nothing is for free.” Processing abrasive materials leads to wear of grinding components. Schieler broke this down into grinding wear, including the rollers and table, and jet wear, including more hard-to-predict wear that occurs elsewhere over time. Gebr. Pfeiffer’s approach for the lining and wear parts includes options such as chrome cast, hard faced or ceramic. Elsewhere, various grades of lining of the mill and classifier can be offered. He then mentioned Gebr. Pfeiffer’s Lift-and-Swing system that allows one access point for wear parts replacements, how the mill’s slower speeds result in less wear on grinding parts and pointed out the benefits of having an ‘all-in-one machine’ for grinding, drying, calcining and separating, with increased energy efficiency by recirculating process gases.

Stefan Welti of Claudius Peters Projects GmbH next spoke about the rearrangement of his company’s ‘aftermarket’ division to become the Customer Service department, looking at spare parts, technical services and customer support. All activities are essentially involved in either after-sales, troubleshooting or optimisation (or in fact a combination of two or more of these). A ticketing system is in place to help the company track the progress of enquiries, while the CP Portal allows customers to monitor enquiry progress. The CP Service Gateway allows remote service and data analysis, and can avoid unplanned standstills. A new AI tool is being used to help with customer technical documentation, which can amount to perhaps 60,000 pages on larger plants. The final aim of the customer support department is to stay in close contact with the customer.

Mark Giese of Tenova - part of the Techint Group - spoke about electric furnace technology for mineral wool production. The company has been supplying electric arc furnaces for over 100 years. A coke- or gas-fired cupola for mineral wool production has high CO₂ emissions, but an EAF has only around 1% of emissions of coke-firing. Mark laid out a vision of low CO₂ insulation production, using an EAF, renewable charcoal, slag and recycled insulation as input materials, waste heat recovery, dust recycling, and carbon capture and storage. The use of hydrogen and electric transport also reduce carbon emissions. The recyclability of the product is also crucial to reduce its overall environmental impact. He gave details of how the mineral wool production furnaces are automated, with the graphite electrodes being managed without human intervention.

Dennis Schattauer of Grenzebach continued the topic of electric melting for mineral wool. Furnaces are becoming larger, and despite coke-fired ovens being used for the largest applications, Grenzebach has decided to stop offering them to the market, instead only offering gas and electrically-fired furnaces. In fact, the electric melters have advantages in infrequent maintenance, less complex waste gas treatment and lower CO₂ and NO_x emissions. Refractories are more complex, but last longer than in other furnaces (3 - 5 years). The EAF electrodes are consumables, but on the other hand, no additional briquetting or oxygen is required for operation. Dennis showed that electric melters will be the least expensive technology in 2025, using a forecast CO₂ permit cost of Euro150/t. Dennis mentioned that Grenzebach is working on a project to build a hydrogen-fired direct reduction hybrid melting plant.

Karl Aicher and Sebastian Hohmann, Grenzebach started their presentation on flexible wood fibre insulation (WFI) batts by pointing out that wood does not have to be melted, thus giving it an immediate sustainability advantage over other types of insulation. Grenzebach sells process equipment to manufacture WFI and this talk introduced WFI batts as well as describing the production process. The speakers described how under the DIN EN 13171, European standard WFI insulation should comprise at least 80% wood fibres with the rest made up of binders and additives. Softwood chips from spruce, pine and fir trees are mainly used for the production, and wet and dry production processes can be used. The three main types of WFI are Rigid WFI Boards, Flexible WFI Batts and Blow-in BFI. Rigid WFI Boards products are sometimes treated with paraffin and are mixed with around 4% of polyurethane resin. Each of the different products have different applications in buildings, with boards having both exterior and interior applications, batts having thermal cavity and acoustic uses and blow-in having thermal cavity and loose fill applications. The speakers said that WFI batts have a similar R-value to standard mineral and organic insulation products but that a key advantage is that it has a high heat storage capacity leading to long temporal phase shifts in peak temperature. WFI’s environmental credentials are predicated on wood capturing and sequestering CO₂, giving the product a negative embodied CO₂ rating. Finally, the speakers detailed how WFI batts are manufactured. Wood chips are defibered, dried, mixed with bicomponent fibres (Bico fibres), formed into mats, cured, cut and packed.

Philip Kunkel, Fagus Grecon, compared a transverse and a full-scan measuring system, such as one the company sells, on a glass wool production line in order to determine which method would gather enough data to control material distribution confidently. The line studied had a speed of 3m/min, a width of 1200mm and a set point weight of 1.97kg/m2. Both methods studied gathered data for one hour, with the area broken down into five cross sections and the effects of differing time offsets examined. The full scan method covered the full area and gathered 5GB of data. In comparison the transverse approach covered only about 1% of the same area. The study found considerable variation in the quality of the data from the transverse method with the starting point of measurement having a significant effect on the measured material distribution. Hence, Kunkel argued that using a full-scan system could allow operators to reduce the set point weight to the lower quality levels as it could be measured more accurately, thereby saving material.

Benjamin Bizjan, University of Ljubljana, presented his work on measuring fibre micromechanical properties to optimise mineral melt composition for mineral wool. The research aims to improve understanding of melting and fiberisation process effects on fibre properties - such as elasticity, tensile strength, hardness and fracture mechanics – and then offer ways to optimise industrial production processes. A particular motivation is the so-called ‘weak link problem’ whereby mineral wool strength is only as good as the weakest fibres. Bizjan explained that the critical areas on a mineral wool production line for fibre strength are batch melting and homogenisation in the furnace (for fibre microstructure), melt fiberisation from the spinner wheel surface (for fibre diameter and shot content), fibre cooling, extension, and binder wetting airflow (for fibre diameter, heat transfer and mechanical load conditions) and fibre detachment and transport in coaxial airflow (for fibre length and surface fracture). The main methods of testing fibres are sentmanat extensional rheometry (SER), nanoindentation and imaging such as electron microscopy and spectroscopy. SER is a destructive test that uses rotational rheometry to measure tensile strength and Young’s modulus. Nanoindentation simultaneously measures Young’s modulus and surface hardness. Bizjan is putting together a composition optimisation methodology (or algorithm as he described it) to determine how different batch components can be processed with varying melt and fibre properties to achieve the best mechanical properties and production cost.

Peter Antolin, Trelleborg Slovenija delivered a succinct presentation on the key features and benefits of rubber forming belts for the gypsum wallboard sector. Trelleborg Slovenija asked its customers what they consider most valuable in belts and they reported the following: memory effect; elasticity; tracking; temperature resistance; abrasion resistance; and sustainability. The memory effect is how a belt returns to its original shape after deformation and, crucially, this can prevent the formation of cracks. Trelleborg’s belts can reach up to 80°C. Abrasion resistance is up to 248mm3 as standard but a wear resistant option can offer down to around 125mm3. In the standard abrasion tests, a lower figure represents better wear resistance. The company’s approach to sustainability is to offer longer-lasting belts.

Bo Johansson of Limab, next spoke on the next-generation of in-line surface inspection systems for gypsum boards. He pointed out that boards are measured in many places during the production process. Non-contact measurement is strongly favoured, supplying instant alarms of out of tolerance board or of defects, and is operator dependent. The FalconEye surface defect detection system has been available since around 2006, and Limab has decided to upgrade the system to a second generation offering to be available in 2024. The new system will have a maximum of four cameras and four image processing units, with two light sources per system, and a maximum width coverage of 2700mm. The system will typically detect defects down to 3x3mm, and height deviations down to 0.1mm. The system will detect a wide variety of defects including one-off and periodic defects.

Rosy Scodro and Piero Rizzi of COMEC updated delegates on the company’s system for the production of continuously-cast moulded gypsum panels. The gypsum mixture is poured directly onto the belt, without a paper facing. A moulded edge is applied to the solidifying stucco, and the panels are then loaded into a continuous panel dryer.

Griselle Montanez of Lanxess next spoke about controlling microbial growth in joint compounds. Compounds can be contaminated with microbes, which find enough nutrients to growth and to spoil the properties of the mix. Product recalls may occur and will cause loss of revenue and damage to the brand. Joint compounds are water-based and microbes grow happily in such a micronutrient-rich, neutral to alkaline environment. Bacteria and fungi tend to affect wet-state (‘In-Can’) products and filamentous fungi dry-state products. Preservatives cause cell death by reacting with various parts of the cell, and they can be added to intermediate products, to the consumer product or even to the process equipment prior to placement. A variety of biocides, bactericides and fungicides may be needed to combat the various microbial contaminants that are found in joint compounds (and joint compound factories), while the biocides themselves also have physical and chemical properties that must be carefully considered. Thermal, pH and chemical stability and water-solubility are crucial. Bioban and Preventol biocides have been found to be effective in reducing or eliminating microbial growth in joint compounds, even in powder form.

Jacob Heubeck of Gyptech introduced ‘Schrödinger’s Stucco,’ essentially the fact that taking a measurement of stucco properties will change it. Jacob suggested that the best place to take a measurement is immediately before the mixer, showing the least variability in bound crystal water. Prior to this point, the stucco will be in the process of more or less speedy change, when accurate measure will be difficult. Material samplers must be chosen carefully to take into account condensation/moisture, temperature and pressure. Sample size, preparation and selection are all important factors to consider to ensure representative sampling, while storage conditions are also critical. The Gyptech Stucco Analyser can be used to generate useful results.

Frank Yang, Liatris described how his company is starting to enter the high-performance inorganic insulation market by developing a new cost-effective aerogel composition made from cellulose, clay and silica. He said that it is a unique time for innovation in the building materials market due to the Inflation Reduction Act in the US and other factors promoting sustainable construction. The company received US Department of Energy funding in 2021 and plans to develop a clay-cement composite insulation with an R-value of 5/inch from 2024, an aerogel product with an R-value of 8/inch and a cost of ≤US$1/board foot from 2026 and an industrial product from 2028. Liatris produced its first product prototype in March 2023. It was certified to ASTM E136 in April 2023 with an R-value of 4.2/inch and described as ‘fully non-combustible.’ It is preparing for pilot production and is now forming industry partnerships such as with Sto to scale-up the business and bring its products to market.

Jan M Bradford, RIMA International looked at how the US-based insulation sector can embrace sustainability. She conceded that the US lagged behind Europe in this area but that progress is expected soon and that “transparency is the new norm.” With this context she described various building materials talking points since the 1980s, such as asbestos use, defective imported wallboard from China, volatile organic components (VOC) and the ‘Red List’ of chemicals and materials harmful to humans. She then went on to detail various methodologies such as Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), Product Category Rules, the ISO 14000 – Environmental Management Standards, Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), energy usage and embodied carbon to show the different ways insulation manufacturers can be more open with their data. Bradford used the example of Low-Density Polyurethane (LPDE) resin to show how using life cycle inventory (LCI) and LCA reporting had shown that the energy usage and global warming potential of the manufacturing process had improved between 2011 and 2019. She finished by pointing out that Marin County in California has successfully introduced its Low Carbon Concrete Code requiring the replacement of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with supplementary cementitious materials, that General Services Administration (GSA) projects have low embodied carbon concrete standards and that the Buy Clean Task Force, which accounts for 80% of US Federal Government construction materials spending, has also started prioritising low-carbon products including insulation.

Johnnie Erichsen, Tentoma gave a run-down of how his company’s Ro-Ro StretchPack product uses a biaxial stretch machine using four gripper arms to wrap a tubular stretchable PE film with 600 – 2000kg stretch power on each gripper arm to achieve a 0 – 75% stretch of the film for packaging. The packaging equipment is more expensive to install than some competing products and the PE film it uses can cost a little more. However, the savings on film consumption and energy consumption can compensate for this. Other advantages Erichsen outlined included dust and waterproofing, increased throughput and the ability to print the film for branding. The Ro-Ro StretchPack can accommodate product sizes of up of 200 - 19000mm in length, 300 - 2200mm in width and 10 - 1400mm in height. A variety of stretch factors can also be set. Erichsen rounded off his talk by showing how Tentoma’s packaging lines can be installed for both insulation and wallboard plants, with simplex and duplex options.

Finally, Martina Pellegrino, Bocedi SRL presented her company’s packaging technology using a case study at a Fermacell fibre-gypsum panel plant in Spain. A Stretch hood FB2000XXL packaging line was installed at the site in 2023. The customer wanted to automate the end of line packaging process, pack different load sizes with just one machine, to protect and stabilise the loads for storage and transport, add branding to the packaging, reduce plastic consumption, use recycled materials, and use a single supplier. Pellegrino described how this was accomplished. Notably the machine installed can pack load sizes from 500mm x 500mm to 3600mm x 1800mm, to a height of 1500mm and uses four different film reels. A variety of stretch hood overlay options are also available such as wrapping around product pallets or partial coverings.

Plaudits and Farewells

At the end of the conference programme, delegates once again gathered together for a farewell send-off. Delegates had voted for their favourite presentations, with the votes normalised to the attendance in each paper. Derek Vaile of Kamengo was in third place in the gypsum section, for his paper on bin hang-ups, Dennis Schattauer of Grenzebach was second for his paper on the Ultra High-Efficiency Dryer and Jacob Heubeck of Gyptech was in first place for his paper on ‘Schrödinger’s Stucco.’ In the insulation papers, Jan Bradford of Fifoil Company was third for her paper on sustainable design impacts, Martina Pellegrino of Bocedi was second for her paper on stretch-hooding, and Karl Aicher and Sebastian Hohman of Grenzebach were in first place for their paper on flexible wood fibre insulation batts.

The event was praised by delegates for its networking and business opportunities, and smooth organisation. The Global Insulation Conference will next take place in Munich on 16 - 17 October 2024, while the 22nd Global Gypsum Conference will take place in Bangkok on 13 - 14 November 2024.

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