The project report includes Present Market Position and Expected Future Demand, Market Size, Statistics, Trends, SWOT Analysis and Forecasts. Report provides a comprehensive analysis from industry covering detailed reporting and evaluates the position of the industry by providing insights to the SWOT analysis of the industry.
Gypsum Material Characteristics
Whether raw, natural, synthetic, or even recycled, it is often desirable to further process gypsum before use, particularly in the case of agricultural applications. When processing any material, it is important to recognize key characteristics that will affect manufacturing operations and the final product generated. Even commonly processed minerals such as gypsum require testing on a case-by-case basis to ensure quality results.
The following list outlines key material characteristics that affect gypsum processing.
Abrasive
Mined gypsum is a somewhat abrasive material. As a result, robust equipment must be used when processing gypsum. Rotary dryers are an ideal solution for many types of ore, as they are rugged pieces of equipment, easily customized with heavy-duty linings that defend against erosion. Customizations can be made to other processing equipment as well, in order to protect against abrasion, and prolong equipment life. No matter what the equipment, keeping gypsum’s abrasive nature in mind during design is a must.
Dust and Clumps
When granulated properly, pelletized gypsum is much easier to handle than its raw, powdered counterpart. However, clumping and dusting issues may occur when drying and pelletizing powdered gypsum. In order to avoid such problems, processing equipment should be customized to accommodate.
Raw Material Description
Gypsum has been known for centuries and is one of the oldest building materials in the world. The earliest use of gypsum discovered was in Anatolia around 6000 B.C. Later, in about 3700 B.C., gypsum was used on the interiors of the great pyramids in Egypt. One of the early uses of gypsum in building construction appears to have occurred in 3700 B.C. when the Egyptians used gypsum blocks and plaster applied over woven straw lath in the building of the pyramid of Cheops. As a testimony to the strength and durability of gypsum, some of this construction is still intact and viewable, including walls decorated with murals composed of tinted plaster. For centuries now, gypsum has played a crucial role in construction. American settlers recognized gypsum’s potential use as plaster and as a soil amendment. Modern gypsum board has as its predecessor a product called “Sackett Board,” a composite material that was made of layers of thin plaster placed between four plies of wool felt paper. Sackett Board was patented in 1894 by Augustine Sackett, the man generally considered to be the grandfather of the gypsum board manufacturing industry.
The wallboard is approximately 92% gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate CaSO4 2H2O), 7% paper, and 1% impurities and additives. Gypsum is found in every continent of the world and is one of the most widely used minerals.
Gypsum board – a part replacement to wood
Due to obvious reasons, wood has been extensively used in the construction of buildings in Bhutan for flooring, paneling, insulation and various other purposes. In the today’s context, wood is increasingly becoming scarce and costly. Some of the applications of wood viz for insulation, ceiling, partition, paneling, etc need to be replaced by alternative materials. Gypsum board offers an alternative to wood for applications like ceiling, insulation and partition. Besides, gypsum board is a modern material of construction used extensively in the construction and finishing of the buildings. Gypsum board is often called drywall, wallboard, or plasterboard.
It consist of a noncombustible core, composed primarily of gypsum, and a thick paper surfacing on the face, back and long edges.
They can be faced with a variety of different materials, including paper and fiberglass mats.
It differs from other panel building products, such as plywood, hardboard, and fiberboard, because of its noncombustible core and paper facers.
Gypsum wall board creates a continuous surface suitable for most types of interior decoration.
The chemistry of Gypsum board
Pure gypsum is a white to transparent mineral, but sometimes impurities color it grey, brown, or pink. Its chemical name is calcium sulphate dihydrate, and its chemical formula is CaSO4•2H2O. When gypsum is heated, it loses about three quarters of its water and becomes hemihydrate gypsum (CaSO4•½H2O), which is soft and can be easily ground to a powder called hemihydrate gypsum plaster or Plaster of Paris. If this powder is then mixed with water to form a paste or slurry, then it will dry and set rock hard.
The chemically combined water, previously driven off by heating, will recombine, and the material will revert to the original chemical composition of gypsum. While the hemihydrate gypsum plaster is in slurry form, it can be poured between two paper layers to make wallboard, used to fill cracks and crevices, or poured into a mold.
Plaster of Paris is a building material. Plaster of Paris is raw gypsum that is chemically altered by heat to remove much of the water contained in the gypsum molecule and then hydrated to make it useable as a plastering material. It remains a viable product to this day.
