Abstract
The quality of secondary materials is imperative to promote a circular economy. In order to improve the way in which the quality of recycled gypsum is assessed, European guidelines on recycled gypsum (RG) quality criteria have been outlined in the framework of the Life+ Gypsum to Gypsum (GtoG) project. Such GtoG guidelines, along with the European Standard on gypsum plasterboard EN 520, provided the basis for this study. During the GtoG project, gypsum recycling and plasterboard manufacturing processes were monitored by testing the gypsum feedstock and the plasterboard produced. The aim of this paper is to discuss the results obtained on relevant parameters that characterize gypsum as a secondary raw material, as well as the resulting product. The minimum requirements were fulfilled by 56% of the RG samples and 86% of the plasterboard with increased RG.
Highlights
Gypsum products mainly consist of calcium sulphate dehydrate (CaSO4·2H2O), from three distinct sources: nature, industrial processes and urban mining
Natural gypsum, synthetic gypsum and pre-consumer recycled gypsum (RG)
The present work has analysed data from testing gypsum feedstock as well as gypsum plasterboard with up to 30% of RG content
Summary
Gypsum products mainly consist of calcium sulphate dehydrate (CaSO4·2H2O), from three distinct sources: nature (mines or quarries), industrial processes and urban mining. It is feasible to recycle gypsum sourced from urban mining (known as endof-life (EoL) gypsum or post-consumer gypsum waste). The weight percentage of post-consumer RG in a reference plasterboard in the year 2013 in the European Union was estimated to be 1% [2]. In such reference plasterboard, three types of gypsum are dominant. Natural gypsum (i.e. from mines or quarries, 63%), synthetic gypsum (i.e. from industrial processes, byproduct mainly from flue gas desulfurization systems, 27%) and pre-consumer RG (from industrial processes, waste generated during the manufacturing process, commonly known as pre-consumer waste or industrial waste, 4%). In the European Union, a market for post-consumer RG has only emerged in Benelux, Scandinavia, France, the Netherlands and the UK [3]
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