Gypsum industry news
UK: Cuddy Recycling Ltd, a start up company that is supported by the Welsh Government, plans to invest Euro1.49m to create the first wood, wallboard and gypsum recycling centre in South Wales. It will create 22 jobs.
Backed by Euro285,000 from the Welsh Economic Growth Fund, the purpose-built centre will be based on the former Wern Works site in Briton Ferry, Neath Port Talbot which, subject to planning, will be partially demolished and redeveloped. The new centre will process and recycle demolition aggregate from construction and demolition projects across Wales, as well as waste timber and wallboard from the construction industry and civil amenity sites.
It aims to provide a green alternative to landfill with waste timber used for animal bedding, panel board manufacture and biomass fuel, with the option of introducing a garden mulch product at a later date.
Aggregates will be sorted for reuse in construction companies. Wallboard will, where possible, be taken back to wallboard manufacture, or the gypsum recycled as a soil conditioner for agricultural purposes. There is also potential for use as a cement additive.
"This project supports two of our key economic sectors, providing a specific service for the construction sector while the new business will operate in the energy and environment industry, one of the fastest growing sectors in the Welsh economy with waste management - the largest sub sector," said economy minister Edwina Hart. "Companies working in this area are not only making a significant contribution in terms of job creation and financial impact, but by reducing waste to landfill they are helping us achieve recycling targets and ensure that we create a sustainable environment for future generations. The proposed new centre will provide an important facility to deal with construction and demolition waste and I am pleased to support this new start up through the Economic Growth Fund."
Charah reports strong demand for synthetic gypsum fertiliser 16 October 2014
US: Louisville's Charah Inc uses by-product gypsum from a local coal plant to make a fertiliser, SUL4R-PLUS, which is used by domestic and international farmers. Charah has now announced plans to expand its operations as demand grows.
In April 2013, Charah opened a US$14m plant at Mill Creek Generating Station in Louisville to produce SUL4R-PLUS after recognising a market for it in the agricultural industry. The sulphur content in local soil has fallen significantly in recent years as high-yield farming has pulled more of it out of the ground.
Charah gets gypsum powder from the Mill Creek facility and makes it into fertiliser pellets using several additives. It then sells the pellets to distributors. SUL4R-PLUS is now used in several states, including Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and other countries, including Canada and the Dominican Republic.
Due to its popularity, company officials have stated that they plan to expand operations with the introduction of a second production line at the Mill Creek production facility. In the future, it could also build production lines at other power plants it works with around the country.