sustainable building products 63
and we still use it to this day because there is no other substance more fit for purpose. What’s really interesting about gypsum is that
the chemical processing to make plaster is entirely reversible. Gypsum becomes plaster when it’s dehydrated, and on the addition of water it becomes gypsum again, like a cake that turns back into eggs and flour once it cools down. Because of this unique chemistry and the fact that the process does nothing to affect quality, gypsum is 100 per cent recyclable, making it unlike any other construction material.
“Gypsum becomes plaster when it’s dehydrated, and on the addition of water it becomes gypsum again, like a cake that turns back into eggs and flour once it cools down. Because of this unique chemistry and the fact that the process does nothing to affect quality, gypsum is 100 per cent recyclable, making it unlike any other construction material”
By putting a hand on each end of the linear
economic model and bending it so the two ends meet, like Superman demonstrating his ability to ruin steel beams, we could close the circuit. A cir- cular economic model of this kind would mean that waste material is where all things come from and where all things return. In theory, to achieve a circular gypsum
economy, manufacturers need to be in a position to use entirely reclaimed materials instead of
Unsorted demolition waste
newly produced, mined or quarried gypsum. In theory, it’s possible. However, material quality isn’t the only
obstacle in the way of the circular economic model. Logistics plays a big role in the process; even at demolition, the gypsum waste needs to be sorted to avoid contamination. A circular econ- omy will need the entire supply chain to work together; a manufacturer using entirely reclaimed materials at the start of the model is the first step, but if those materials aren’t being recycled by the end user the model isn’t circular. Current demo- lition methods cause too much contamination to recover a demolished building’s gypsum in
Gypsum powder storage
isolation. The cross-market management needed to achieve a circular economy is daunting. In theory, plaster production could become he
first truly circular economy. However, theory and reality have so far failed to intersect. Some gyp- sum is injected into the economy fresh from quarries around the world, and the rest is synthe- sised as a by-product of flue gas desulphurisation, a process that takes place at some coal-fired power plants. So where do we start?
Gypsum to Gypsum
Gypsum to Gypsum is a a three year EU Life+ initiative aimed at changing the way gypsum waste is treated, made up of 16 industrial and aca- demic partners in seven countries. The main objective of the project is to achieve
higher recycling rates of gypsum waste, helping to achieve a resource efficient economy. The project group has recognised that closed loop recycling of gypsum products will only happen if buildings are systematically dismantled instead of demolished, allowing waste to be sorted on site to avoid mixed and contaminated waste. Since the project started in January 2013,
Gypsum to Gypsum has defined the baseline position and advanced new methodologies for the audit and deconstruction of building ele- ments for the recovery of materials. Although plasterboard products already
contain high levels of post consumer recycled material, more is going to be required to meet EU aspirations for resource efficiency in the built environment. The next revision of the EU Landfill Directive is expected to further drive waste streams from end of life buildings into closed-loop recovery. The entire country needs to adopt this way of
thinking if we’re to reduce waste and consume materials within sustainable environmental lim- its, now is the time for the supply chain to work together and close the loop.
respond online at
www.hbdonline.co.uk
Enq. 209
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