Gypsum industry news
US: The Economic Development Department of the state of New Mexico has granted American Gypsum US$0.5m-worth of funding for an upgrade to its Albuquerque gypsum wallboard plant in Bernalillo County. The grant will facilitate equipment and infrastructure modernisation. The department says that the producer will invest US$22m in the state between 1 July 2021 and 31 December 2022. It employs 140 locals including Pueblo Indian people, in whose lands its gypsum mine is situated.
State Governor Lujan Grisham said "This investment means New Mexico jobs will stay in New Mexico. I'm glad the state could partner with American Gypsum and ensure long-term viability of their operations, and stabilise a New Mexico employer."
Canada: The Gypsum Association has partnered with Divert NS to support research at Dalhousie University into the use of recycled gypsum from construction waste in concrete production. Dalhousie University previously demonstrated that gypsum could be a viable supplementary cementitious material when combined with fly ash in concrete. In this second phase of research, the team aims to expand on the work to optimise concrete production methods and product quality.
Canada research chair in sustainable infrastructure Pedram Sadeghian said “As durability is important for construction materials, our research group at Dalhousie University aims to study the durability of concrete containing recycled gypsum by monitoring the compressive strength and potential expansion after exposure to selected environmental conditions such as moisture and salt particle penetration that are common for concrete structures exposed to the environment.”
Gypsum Association executive director Stephen Meima said “We are very pleased to join Divert NS in supporting research that may improve numerous environmental outcomes. The gypsum industry is committed to landfill diversion of construction and demolition gypsum panel waste, and Professor Sadeghian’s work demonstrates that waste gypsum panels may have value beyond their service life in buildings and homes.”