Gypsum industry news

US: The city council of Glenwood Springs in Colorado is aiming to implement single-haul refuse collection in order to eliminate the dumping of recyclables by 2023, local press has reported. A review of waste management practices found that the city has a recycling contamination rate of just 8%, yet 80% of waste sent to landfill consists of recyclable materials. Eagle County Recycle operates the city's waste management facility. The company says that it supplies waste cardboard for gypsum wallboard backing production in neighbouring Oklahoma.

Manager Jesse Masten said “The mill in Oklahoma that we send the cardboard to actually makes the paper backing for wallboard. Then, that paper backing is potentially sent back to the American Gypsum gypsum wallboard plant in Gypsum and used for the wallboard that they’re producing.”

US: Saint-Gobain subsidiary CertainTeed's Buchanan gypsum wallboard plant in New York has successfully participated in a gypsum wallboard recycling pilot. Together with contractors Structure Tone and Cooper Recycling, it processed 20t of gypsum from waste wallboard in its gypsum wallboard production.

CertainTeed interior products vice president and general manager Jay Bachmann said "For us to achieve our sustainability goals, we must change the way we think. By partnering with organisations in the community like Cooper Recycling and Structure Tone, we can get there faster." Bachmann continued, "As the only gypsum manufacturing plant in New York, our colleagues in Buchanan were able to create a true circular economy. From the creation of drywall products to construction, to processing scraps and back into drywall production, the material is continuously used and never leaves the state. This maximises our company's positive impact while working to minimise our environmental footprint. Our Buchanan plant has increased our capacity to reuse recycled material, and we look forward to growing this successful pilot into a long-term programme, while working with builders and recyclers across the state. Partnering with CertainTeed, New York builders have the opportunity to not only reduce waste at their job sites, but also gain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) points on their projects."

The Buchanan plant joins CertainTeed's units at Nashville in Arkansas and Palatka in Florida in supporting the company's circular economic efforts in the US. The Nashville plant commissioned a 65,000t/yr line in May 2022, while the Palatka plant increased the recycled content of its wallboard by 18,000t/yr in August 2022. The Palatka plant plans to install a new 100t/hr Rotochopper grinding unit to replace its existing trommel machine in its reclaim processing and screening operations.

Belgium: Etex has launched its new Road to Sustainability 2030 circularity and decarbonisation strategy. The strategy sets out the company’s 2030 ambitions under five headings. Under health, safety and well-being, Etex aims to reach zero fatalities, burnouts or incidents of harm; under customer engagement, it aims to build a sustainable roadmap for each product platform by 2025; under diversity, equity and inclusion, it will extend its policies, procedures and practices across all teams. Meanwhile, under decarbonisation, Etex will reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 35% compared to 2018, and under circularity it will use over 20% of circular input as raw material, send zero waste to landfill, use 100% recycled packaging and reduce plastic packaging by 20% compared to 2018, offer a product take-back service across 80% of its European markets and dedicate 50% of its innovation resources to sustainability.

Chief executive officer Bernard Delvaux said “Today Etex has sustainability as a guiding compass of business transformation, with concrete objectives that reflect the company’s ambition. We are on an exciting journey towards improving sustainability in the short and long term. We know there is a long road ahead, which is why we invite all our stakeholders to further support us in becoming a leading benchmark in our industry.”

Japan: Chiyoda Ute has reported that it has produced 100% climate neutral and 100% recycled wallboard at its Yokkaichi factory in Mie Prefecture. The company says that, to the best of its knowledge, this is a world first. The board was produced on 1 August 2022.

Speaking about the achievement, Frederick Knauf, Chiyoda Ute’s representative managing director said “We do not know whether another manufacturer has achieved this already on an industrial scale, but it shouldn't matter who was first, as the whole industry needs to come to this point. Being second, third or 25th is the same achievement from my point of view."

US: The US Department of Energy has awarded CertainTeed its 2022 Better Project Award for the company’s installation of a 15,000t/yr production scrap paper recycling system at its Silver Grove, Kentucky, gypsum wallboard plant. The plant recycles ground paper and gypsum from the system in its gypsum wallboard production.

CertainTeed vice president environmental, social and governance North America and Saint-Gobain circular economy solutions managing director Dennis Wilson said "Our recycling technology in Silver Grove allows us to reduce our waste, reduce our consumption of natural resources and also reduce our production costs - all while continuing to produce the best gypsum wallboard product on the market.” Wilson continued “We will continue to look for ways to minimise our environmental footprint while striving to maximise our company's positive impact for our customers and the communities where we operate."

Hungary: Slovakia-based Stavmat Epitoanyag Kereskedelmi has produced its first batch of wallboard from recycled drinks cartons at its Kaposvar pilot plant in Somogy County. MTI – EcoNews has reported that the company plans to install two further production lines at the site by January 2023.

The full-scale plant will cost US$10.6m, employ 20 people and consume 50 – 70t/yr of waste drinks cartons. Stavmat Epitoanyag Kereskedelmi plans to establish a carton collection service across Southern Transdanubia. The present commissioning may lead to the establishment of a second, 10-line plant at a cost of US$21.2m.

US: CertainTeed has installed new recycling technology at its Silver Grove, Kentucky, gypsum wallboard plant which will enable the facility to divert 15,000t/yr of production scrap paper from landfill. The technology grinds gypsum-contaminated paper into fine pieces for separation. The subsidiary of France-based Saint-Gobain says that it will then be able to reuse both paper and gypsum in its wallboard production at the plant.

CertainTeed’s gypsum general manager and vice president Jay Bachmann said “This project allows us to reduce our waste and reduce our production costs in Silver Grove while also empowering us to increase the efficiency of our use of natural resources.” He added “We will continue to look for ways to minimise our environmental footprint while maximising our company’s positive impact for our customers and the communities where we do business.”

Germany: Knauf Gips has partnered with Canada-based lithium hydroxide producer Rock Tech Lithium and waste management company Papenburg Entsorgung Ost to found the Institute for Technologies and Economics of Lithium (ITEL) at Halle (Saale) in Saxony-Anhalt. The institute aims to develop an inter-sector, CO2-neutral recycling economy for lithium in Germany. This will include the use of gypsum from lithium hydroxide production in gypsum wallboard production. ITEL has appointed Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg academics Ulrich Blum and Ralf Wehrspohn as its managing directors.

ITEL said “The switch to electromobility will make Germany the central location for battery production in Europe and thus also for the production of the crucial precursor lithium hydroxide. The reduction and reuse of the by-products generated during the refinement of lithium is the focus of the institute's work. Another focus is research into new production steps to optimise by-product value creation.”