Sharp rise in synthetic gypsum consumption
Natural gypsum is the most common form of gypsum used around the world but
consumption of synthetic material has started to rise sharply, especially in
Europe and North America. The most commonly used type of synthetic gypsum is
produced by flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) equipment at coal-fired power
stations. Other forms of synthetic gypsum, such as titanogypsum, fluorogypsum
and phosphygypsum can be used, but levels of impurities and the local
availability of natural gypsum affect demand. Consumption of synthetic gypsum,
especially FGD gypsum, in industrialised countries started to rise in the 1990s
and is expected to continue to do so. This rise was caused by two main factors
affecting electricity companies: the introduction of environmental legislation
in the 1980s, and the rising cost of disposal of coal combustion products.
Global consumption of gypsum in all its forms was estimated at 149Mt in 2003.
The main market for natural gypsum is as a retarder in Portland cement,
especially in industrialising economies where production of calcined gypsum
products is much smaller than the developed economies. In 2003, cement
production consumed an estimated 76Mt of gypsum. Plasterboard and plaster
production was estimated to have accounted for 58.5t, and the other main market
for gypsum was in agriculture, where an estimated 6.5Mt was used. Cement will
continue to be the main market for gypsum, despite the recent increases in
plasterboard capacity in North America, Europe and Asia. Over the next five
years consumption of FGD gypsum will rise at a faster rate than most other forms
of gypsum. The key trends, issues and developments in the market are now
analysed in this major new report from Roskill. It provides a clear insight into
all areas of the industry and an authoritative analysis of the prospects for the
future.
What this report gives you:
- Independent, in-depth research and analysis
- Essential market intelligence for successful business planning
- Detailed survey of production in 68 countries
- Up-to-date profiles of over 150 producing companies and their activities,
including BPB, Knauf, Lafarge, USG, Yoshino Gypsum and Georgia-Pacific
Gypsum
- Forecasts for end-use consumption & world supply & demand
Report Highlights
Potential world production of synthetic gypsum almost certainly exceeds
current output of natural gypsum, but the amount used commercially is much
smaller. The majority of production is phosphygypsum, possibly up to 100Mtpy,
followed by FGD gypsum (40-50 Mtpy), titanogypsum (6-7Mtpy) and other sources
(1-3Mtpy). The most important form in terms of the amount used commercially, an
estimated 20Mtpy, is probably FGD gypsum.
Hydraulic cement output in Asia rose from 831Mt in 1996 to 1,057Mt in 2003,
an average annual increase of 3.5%. The largest rise in Asian cement production
took place in China, where output grew from 490Mt to 750Mt. The Chinese supply
of natural gypsum appears insufficient to meet demand, and it is likely that
large amounts of phosphogypsum and other synthetic gypsum are used in addition.
The Eastern European and Asian plasterboard markets have seen investment in
new capacity and have the potential to become important markets because of their
large populations and current low per capita consumption.
The supply of gypsum in developed economies is also growing as the recycling
of gypsum waste becomes more common. As estimated 4Mtpy of waste in the USA is
recycled, and increasingly significant amounts are recovered in the EU and
Japan.
Consumption of natural gypsum will show a lower rate of growth over the next
5 years because of competition with synthetic material in plasterboard. The use
of other forms of synthetic gypsum will probably grow only slightly, by around
1-2%py, although the rate could be significantly higher in China, given the
expected high construction rates over the next decade. | 
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