Gypsum industry news

Austria: The European Commission has approved the formation of a joint venture between Saint-Gobain Austria (Rigips), demolition company Porr Umwelttechnik and waste management company Saubermacher. The project plans to build and operate a gypsum recycling plant in Stockerau.

US: Xeriant says that it has successfully tested a high-volume production process for its Nexboard alternative wallboard. The wallboard is made of recycled plastic content, and is 100% recyclable.

Recycling Today News has reported that CEO Keith Duffy said “The industry is desperate for a viable green alternative to gypsum board as part of a transition toward greater efficiency, safety and sustainability in building design. Drywall has essentially remained unchanged for over a century and is extremely vulnerable to moisture and mold. Our homebuilder clients are anxious to receive and approve our production samples so we can execute pending contracts and begin our quest to disrupt the building materials industry.”

China: Saint-Gobain has inaugurated a new 37Mm²/yr gypsum wallboard plant in Yuzhou, Henan province. The site will also produce 150,000t/yr of plaster. The plant will also use over 400,000t/yr of industrial by-products to increase its sustainability. Other initiatives include using renewable electricity, installing solar panels, using electric-powered forklift trucks and recycling all of the plant’s gypsum waste.

France-based Saint-Gobain has been present in China since 1985 and it employs more than 8000 people. The Yuzhou plant is the company’s sixth unit in the country. Construction of the site was supported by a green financing loan, implemented with BNP Paribas.

France: Etex subsidiary Siniat plans to install a new boiler, fired by either solid recovered fuel (SRF) or waste wood, at its Auneuil gypsum wallboard plant in Oise Department. The producer expects this to reduce the plant's gas consumption by 20%. The L'Usine Nouvelle newspaper has reported that the project is part of a planned Euro30m sustainability overhaul of equipment at the plant before 2026. Siniat recently brought the Auneuil plant back online following the installation of a new Euro15m dryer in early 2023, which increased wallboard drying times by 10% and reduced gas consumption by 20%. The producer said that this has eliminated 5900t/yr of CO₂ emissions.

From the remaining Euro3m of its allotted budget for sustainability upgrades, Siniat will build a gypsum recycling plant at the Auneuil gypsum wallboard plant. It currently receives its recycled gypsum from Ritleng Revalorisations' gypsum recycling plant in Rohr, Bas-Rhin Department. Currently, natural gypsum from the Le Pin-Villeparisis and Montmorency mines accounts for 40 - 60% of the Auneuil plant' gypsum consumption.

Japan: Chiyoda-Ute is preparing to launch a gypsum board product, Chiyoda Circular Gypsum Board, from June 2023 that uses 100% recycled gypsum. The company says it is the first product of its kind in the world to use 100% waste gypsum board collected from construction sites. Manufacturing will also be carbon neutral through the use of wood chips to heat the plant’s boiler and electricity supplied from renewable sources.

Spain: Etex subsidiary Pladur says that its Gelsa gypsum wallboard plant produced 25Mm² of gypsum wallboard during 2022. This corresponds to volume growth of 30% year-on-year. The Heraldo de Aragón newspaper has reported that the 2022 figure corresponds to 83% of its operational capacity of 30Mm²/yr.

The Gelsa gypsum wallboard plant reportedly uses 2 - 4% recycled gypsum in its operations. This corresponds to 4000 - 6000t/yr of gypsum, in line with its own rate of production waste generation. The plant aims to recycle 30,000 - 40,000t/yr of gypsum in 2030.

Canada: CertainTeed Canada’s Delta wallboard plant in Vancouver has recycled over 1Mt of gypsum. The unit achieved this breakthrough in collaboration with New West Gypsum Recycling (NWGR). CertainTeed Canada chief executive officer Julie Bonamy Racine, Delta Plant Manager Richard Sebastianelli and NWGR Vice President Richard McCamley all attended a celebration event held at the plant.

Bonamy said, “Surpassing 1Mt of recycled gypsum returned to production is an important milestone, which demonstrates Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed Canada’s commitment to sustainability and minimising our environmental footprint.” She added “Thank you to the provincial government of British Columbia and NWGR for your important partnerships and congratulations to our entire Vancouver team for your hard work to make this accomplishment a reality.”

Canada: Leading global gypsum recycling company New West Gypsum Recycling announced the death of its founder and chief executive officer Tony McCamley on 16 March 2023. It said that McCamley will be 'deeply and dearly' missed as a proud Irishman and for his sense of humour and love of his family.

The company said "Tony was an innovator and a visionary; he was passionate about his business and his family. He started New West Gypsum Recycling over 35 years ago and it has grown into a global business with a lasting environmental impact. His success is attributed to his hard work and dedication: his legacy will live on."

Belgium: Etex's sales were Euro3.74bn in 2022, up by 25% year-on-year from 2021 levels. Its building performance division, which includes gypsum wallboard, recorded revenues of Euro2.43m, 65% of the group total. Etex said that the division’s market positions and results 'evolved positively,' and 'demonstrated leadership' in the face of raw materials price rises. The group's recurring earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (REBITDA) totalled Euro645m, up by 13%.

During the year, Etex's Romania-based subsidiary Siniat commissioned its new Euro1m gypsum drying and micronisation plant at its Aghiresu gypsum wallboard plant in Cluj. The market yielded turnover growth of 17% year-on-year for Siniat, to Euro72.5m

Etex recycled 54% more gypsum than in 2018 across its operations, making it 'the most advanced gypsum recycler in Europe,' according to the company. Its absolute CO₂ emissions fell by 20% over the same period.

Lithuania: Eco Baltia plans to invest Euro700,000 in the establishment of a new construction waste sorting line in Lithuania. Nordic Daily News has reported that this will enable the company to improve its material recovery rate to 82% from 60%. Supplier Ecoservice will supply the automated line, which can handle waste gypsum wallboard alongside other materials.

Eco Baltia's head of environmental management Jānis Aizbalts said "Considering the increasing volume of construction waste and the need to ensure their reuse, we are purposefully developing construction waste sorting possibilities and new technological solutions. Ecoservice has already completed a modernisation project for the existing construction waste sorting area, installing new and more efficient equipment that will double the company's construction waste sorting capacity."