Gypsum industry news

US: Fertiliser company Mosaic is seeking approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to test using phosphogypsum on a pilot road project at its New Wales site in Mulberry, Florida. It hopes to test using the substance in three 60m sections of road, according to correspondence seen by the Tampa Bay Times newspaper. The proposed test road will use a mixture of sand with up to 50% phosphogypsum in a 25cm base. The road will then be monitored over the next 18 months.

The EPA originally approved the limited use of phosphogypsum in road construction in 2020. However, this was then subsequently blocked. Local legislation in Florida allowing the Florida Department of Transportation to study the use of phosphogypsum in road construction has been approved by the Florida Senate and House of Representatives but is yet to be signed off by Governor Ron DeSantis.

The Florida Industrial and Phosphate Research Institute estimates that around 1Bnt of phosphogypsum is stored in over 20 sites in the state. Over 25Mt/yr of phosphogypsum is generated, typically from fertiliser production. Environmental groups in the state have opposed Mosaic’s proposed use of phosphogypsum in road building due to its higher level of radioactivity compared to other forms of gypsum.

Belgium: Eurogypsum, the European federation of national associations of producers of gypsum products, is lobbying for building materials such as gypsum to be included in a list of critical and strategic raw materials as part of the European Union’s (EU) proposed Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). The organisation welcomes the CRMA but wants it to also consider the energy renovation of the building stock in addition to raw earth minerals such as those required to build batteries. It has suggested either amending the proposed act to include certain building materials as strategic or introducing a new category of ‘essential’ raw materials, with streamlined permitting processes and access to finance.

It noted that Europe was, in principle, self sufficient in gypsum due to abundant deposits. However, it said that, “increasing difficulties in the access to extractive permits, combined with the foreseen reduction of alternative gypsum sources from the flue gas desulphurisation of coal power plants in the energy transition, are raising serious concerns about the future supply of this mineral essential for the construction and renovation of buildings.”

The CRMA was originally announced by EU President Ursula von der Leyen in September 2022 before being formally proposed in March 2023. It is now being considered by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.

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.

US: The US gypsum wallboard industry produced 623Mm² of gypsum wallboard during the first quarter of 2023, down by 1% year-on-year and by 1.2% quarter-on-quarter. The industry exported 20.1Mm² of gypsum wallboard in the quarter under review, corresponding to 19% year-on-year growth. Canada received 19Mm² of the product, 94% of total exports for the quarter.

United States Geological Survey (USGS) data show 4% year-on-year growth in US gypsum wallboard imports. The country imported 23Mm² during the year, 20.9Mm² (91%) of it from Mexico and 1.84Mm² (8%) from Canada. Total calcined gypsum consumption was 4.66Mt in the US in the first quarter of 2023, up by 9.9% year-on-year from 4.24Mt in the first quarter of 2022.

New Zealand: Winstone Wallboards says that it successfully started a test run on the new production line at its new Tauriko gypsum wallboard plant in mid-May 2023. In a statement general manager David Thomas said “The team successfully put ‘slurry on paper’ and ran board down the line and, beyond our initial plan, through the dryer.” He added the company was confident that it would be producing wallboard in the second half of 2023.