Saudi Arabia: National Gypsum Company (NGCO) has announced that its net income fell by 44% in the financial year ending 31 December 2011 compared to 2010. The company reported an income of US$14m in 2010 compared to US$7.9m in 2011.

Gross profit in 2011 fell by 37%, to US$11m from US$17m in 2010. Income from operations declined by 42% in 2011 to US$8.2m from US$14m in 2010.

For the fourth quarter of 2011 net income fell by 48% compared to the same quarter in 2010, dropping from US$2.1m to US$1.1m. Net income fell by 3% in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to the third quarter of 2011. Gross profit for the fourth quarter fell by 34% compared to 2010, falling from US$3.3m to US$2.2m. Income from operations for the fourth quarter fell by 38% compared to 2010, dropping from US$2.6m to US$1.6m

NGCO has attributed the reason for these decreases to net income, gross profit and income from operation to increased competition.

Germany: Scientists have observed tailor-made specialist micro-organisms directly 'feeding' on CO2-containing flue gases from lignite-fired power stations, in what is being described as a 'very promising' initial result of a research project run by RWE Power and Brain AG. The research may have interesting implications for the gypsum industry, which already uses desulphurised flue gas.

The joint project, which has been running since January 2010, aims to convert CO2 into biomass or directly into secondary raw materials with the help of micro-organisms bred to explore innovative CO2 conversion and synthesis pathways. The ultimate aims of the project are to produce industrially-usable products. These are likely to include insulation and construction materials.

"Our pioneering work in the search for biotechnological CO2 conversion solutions bears first fruit," said Dr Johannes Heithoff, head of research and development at RWE Power. "We continue to lead the efforts to protect the climate."

The work is being carried out at the Coal Innovation Centre located at the Niederaussem power plant, which hopes to produce scaleable solutions to reducing emissions from coal-fired power stations. If such solutions can be found, the gypsum industry may find that desulphurisation of flue-gas moves into competition with the production of insulation materials or other chemicals.

India: The Central Salt Marine and Chemical Research Institute (CSMCRI) has standardised and internationally patented a novel process of converting discharge emanating from soda ash and salt-making units into value-added products, including the extraction of far more gypsum than previously possible.

"A novel cost-effective process that helps derive three times more gypsum from the distellar waste, emanating from soda ash and salt-making units, using the Solvay Process for production, has been standardised and granted a US patent," said Dr Pushpito Ghosh, director of CSMCRI, which is based at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

The new process has numerous process and environmental benefits for the processing of certain wastes, including the diversion of aqueous wastes from being dumped in the sea. It could also provide a new source of synthetic gypsum.

US: November 2011 saw more home starts in the US than any month since April 2010. The surge was reportedly led by an increase in multifamily units. The gypsum industry will be watching to see if the trend continues for December 2011, which might finally signify an upturn in demand for wallboard.

Starts increased by 9.3% to a 685,000 annual rate. Building permits, a sign for future construction, also climbed to a year-high. As well as multifamily homes, typified by apartments, demand for single-family-homes may also be increasing. A drop in house prices and low borrowing costs is thought to be the reason for the increase in demand.

"For months we've been flagging the strength in multifamily construction, but now we're starting to get signs that single-family is pulling itself off the canvas," said Brian Jones from Société Générale in New York.