Gypsum industry news

US: Advanced materials producer Xeriant plans to enter trial production of its recycled plastic-based gypsum wallboard alternative, NEXBOARD. Plastic products company TMF Corporation will support production by agglomerating post-industrial plastic waste and densifying it, along with different eco-friendly flame retardants, for use as feedstock.

US: Munson has launched a ribbon blender for the homogenisation of dry bulk solids, including gypsum plaster. The unit, which can also blend solids with liquids from its spray lines to pastes or slurries, has a volume of 2.4m³. The company reports that its novel bag dump, which draws dust into filter cartridges by intermittent blasts from a number of nozzles, will improve worker safety and plant hygiene.

Canada: The directors of the NuGyp Corporation are inviting sealed bids for the purchase of the patents and the intellectual property of the NuGyp process. The NuGyp process is a technique for reducing the water demand of beta plaster. Patents have been granted in 27 countries to date and further applications are pending to cover all major markets in the world. The deadline for the bidding process is 1 August 2016.

The process has been operated at up to 72t/hr in a plant running two plasterboard lines. Another installation is set to come on-stream soon. Two multi-plant companies are also interested in the technology. The technology is developed and ready for commercial use by a company that can provide full calcination technology to the industry.

NuGyp was formed in 2008 by Bob Bruce, Gary Murray and Charlie Blow to develop and commercialise new technologies related to the production of low water demand hemihydrate plaster for use in the gypsum industry. The NuGyp process has patents granted or pending in over 70 countries worldwide and covers all major gypsum producing territories.