Gypsum industry news

Japan: Daiseki Eco. Solutions subsidiary Green Arrows Kyushu has opened a wallboard recycling plant in the suburbs of Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The recycling plant will separate used and dismantled wallboard, collected from construction sites, into plaster powder and paper for sale to wallboard and paper manufacturers, respectively. The plant will begin with 15,000t/yr of processing capacity, which will be raised to 36,000t/yr.

Daiseki entered the wallboard-recycling business in 2009 through a subsidiary named Green Arrows Central, based in Tokai, Aichi Prefecture. Its Tokai plant currently recycles 30,000t/yr of used wallboard from the local area.

China: The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has released China's 12th five-year (2011-2015) plan for major industrial solid waste. The plan will target US$80bn from recycling solid waste with a comprehensive utilised volume of 1.6Bnt by 2015.

Under the plan, which will cover industrial by product gypsum, gangue, coal ash smelting slag, red mud and carbide slag, China is expected to generate 2.5 million new jobs in the field of industrial solid waste management. In the case of gypsum, it is likely that the by-product will be used in the production of wallboard.

MIIT predicts that China will generate an incredible 15Bnt of industrial solid waste in total during 2011-2015.

UK: Eastern Waste Disposal Ltd has won a Euro0.85m multiple awardees contract award from Essex County Council to provide services for the collection and recycling of gypsum.

According to the description, "In accordance with its duties under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Essex County Council sought services in relation to the collection and recycling of waste gypsum and tyres sourced from recycling centres for household waste in Essex and waste collection authority/waste disposal authority premises, including transfer stations, in Essex."

The contract period will be 21 months from October 2011 until June 2013 with options for the council to extend.