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Environmental Evaluation of Gypsum Plasterboard Recycling

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Environmental Evaluation of Gypsum Plasterboard Recycling minerals Article Environmental Evaluation of Gypsum Plasterboard Recycling Karin Weimann 1,*, Christian Adam 1, Matthias Buchert 2 and Juergen Sutter 2 1 Division Thermochemical Residues Treatment and Resource Recovery (FB 4.4), Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -Prüfung (BAM), Unter den Eichen 87, D-12205 Berlin, Germany; [email protected] 2 Division Resources & Transport, Oeko-Institute, Rheinstrasse 95, 64295 Darmstadt, Germany; [email protected] (M.B.); [email protected] (J.S.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Gypsum is widely used in the construction sector, and its worldwide consumption has been increasing for several decades. Depending on the lifetime of the used gypsum products, an increase of gypsum in construction and demolition waste follows. Especially against the background of a circular economy, the recycling of waste gypsum is of growing importance. However, the use of recycled gypsum only makes sense if it is environmentally friendly. Therefore, an evaluation of the environmental impacts of industrial-scale processing for the recycling of post-consumer gypsum waste was conducted. The evaluation was performed with an established life cycle assessment software. Original data provided by the industry and complementary data from a database for life cycle assessments were used for the calculations. Two scenarios for recycled gypsum with different transportation distances were calculated. These results were compared with the results of the environmental evaluation of gypsum derived from coal-fired power plants (FGD gypsum) and natural gypsum. The results showed that the utilization of recycled gypsum can be environmentally advantageous compared to the use of natural gypsum or FGD gypsum, especially in the impact categories of land transformation and resource consumption (abiotic depletion potential). For most environmental impact categories, the specific transportation distances have a strong influence. Citation: Weimann, K.; Adam, C.; Buchert, M.; Sutter, J. Environmental Keywords: gypsum plasterboards; gypsum waste; recycled gypsum; environmental evaluation; LCA Evaluation of Gypsum Plasterboard Recycling. Minerals 2021, 11, 101. https://doi.org/10.3390/min11020101 Academic Editor: Carlos 1. Introduction Hoffmann Sampaio The use of secondary building materials can meet the requirements of sustainability Received: 23 December 2020 in several ways: the extended time availability of primary raw materials and, thereby, the Accepted: 15 January 2021 protection of natural resources, as well as the conservation of landfill sites. Depending on Published: 21 January 2021 the respective circumstances, other environmental impacts like the emission of greenhouse gases could also be reduced [1]. Due to the large quantities of required raw materials Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral and, also, the high volumes of construction and demolition waste (CDW), the reuse of with regard to jurisdictional claims in waste from the building sector is of high importance for the reduction of waste masses published maps and institutional affil- in general and, also, for a circular economy [2,3]. Accordingly, many studies have been iations. conducted to perform life cycle assessments (LCA) for several aspects of the building material cycles [2,4]. There are already established procedures to recycle and reuse mineral waste materials in civil construction. Due to the large amounts and the material properties of concrete and Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. concrete waste, several studies have been performed to use crushed concrete as environ- Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. mentally friendly recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) [5]. These recycling procedures are This article is an open access article already applied in practice [1]. Furthermore, various approaches have been made to find distributed under the terms and new procedures and applications for the reuse of different CDW components. Colman et al. conditions of the Creative Commons investigated the use of the sand fraction from the CDW pieces as an additive in mortar Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// production [6]. Due to material properties like elevated water absorption or contamina- creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ tions, this sand fraction can usually not be used as an RCA. The authors found the material 4.0/). Minerals 2021, 11, 101. https://doi.org/10.3390/min11020101 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/minerals Minerals 2021, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 13 Minerals 2021, 11, 101 2 of 13 mortar production [6]. Due to material properties like elevated water absorption or con- taminations, this sand fraction can usually not be used as an RCA. The authors found the material suitable for mortars and determined that even the gypsum residues in this frac- suitable for mortars and determined that even the gypsum residues in this fraction did not tion did not affect the mechanical properties of the new mortars. affect the mechanical properties of the new mortars. In a study from Azevedo et al., solid waste from the red ceramic industry was used In a study from Azevedo et al., solid waste from the red ceramic industry was used for geopolymer synthesis [7]. It was found that this waste has a great potential to be used for geopolymer synthesis [7]. It was found that this waste has a great potential to be used as the raw material for obtaining ceramic roof tiles by means of geopolymeric reactions. as the raw material for obtaining ceramic roof tiles by means of geopolymeric reactions. Amaral et al. worked on a methodology for the partial replacement of natural sand in Amaral et al. worked on a methodology for the partial replacement of natural sand in mortars by ornamental stone-processing waste [8]. They used a mathematical model for mortars by ornamental stone-processing waste [8]. They used a mathematical model for the calculation of an optimal particle size contribution. The results indicated a possibility the calculation of an optimal particle size contribution. The results indicated a possibility to produce eco-friendlyto produce mortars eco-friendly from that mortars waste. from Marvila that waste. et al. developed Marvila et al.a mixture developed of a mixture of gypsum plastergypsum and rock plaster waste and for rock the wasterepairs for of the historical repairs ofbuildings historical [9]. buildings This investiga- [9]. This investigation tion showed promisingshowed promising results in renderings results in renderings to repair the to repairstudied the buildings, studied buildings,namely when namely when 25% 25% of the sandof was the sandreplaced was by replaced rock waste. by rock waste. In recent years,In gypsum recent years, as a building gypsum mate as a buildingrial has attracted material attention. has attracted It has attention. been It has been widely used inwidely constructions used in in constructions the last decades, in the and last its decades, consumption and its has consumption increased hasin increased in many countries.many Figure countries. 1 shows Figure the develo1 showspment the of development the gypsum of consumption the gypsum in consumption Germany in Germany and the U.S. sinceand 1900. the U.S. These since numbers 1900. These include numbers gypsum include that arises gypsum as side that product arises as from side product from coal-fired powercoal-fired plants (FGD power gypsum). plants (FGDBetween gypsum). 2000 and Between 2019, the 2000 quantity and 2019,of FGD the gyp- quantity of FGD sum was aboutgypsum seven million was about tons each seven year million in Germany tons each [10]. year In in2019, Germany the contained [10]. In quan- 2019, the contained tity of FGD gypsumquantity in the of U.S. FGD was gypsum 22.9 mill inion the tons U.S. [11]. was The 22.9 estimated million tonsglobal [11 production]. The estimated global of gypsum in 2019production was 140 of million gypsum tons in 2019[12]. Accordingly, was 140 million a rise tons of [gypsum12]. Accordingly, waste (GW) a rise of gypsum in CDW is expectedwaste in (GW) the upcoming in CDW is years, expected andin the the importance upcoming of years, gypsum and recycling the importance is a of gypsum growing issue recycling[13,14]. Currently, is a growing the issue gypsum [13,14 demand]. Currently, is covered the gypsum (at least demand 60%) isby covered FGD (at least 60%) gypsum in Germany.by FGD The gypsum natural in gypsum Germany. deposits The natural fulfil gypsumthe remaining deposits gypsum fulfil thedemand remaining gypsum [10]. Due to thedemand national [10 clim]. Dueate protection to the national goals climateand the protection related shutdown goals and of thecoal-fired related shutdown of power plants, thecoal-fired FGD gypsum power plants,supply thewill FGD decr gypsumease significantly supply will in the decrease future. significantly Addition- in the future. ally, the availableAdditionally, extraction the areas available will not extraction be approved areas willdue not to nature be approved conservation due to nature rea- conservation sons. Therefore,reasons. the recycling Therefore, of gypsum the recycling waste is a of contribution gypsum waste to solving is a contribution future gypsum to solving future demand problems.gypsum demand problems. (a) (b) Figure 1.Figure Gypsum 1. Gypsum consumption consumption in Germany in Germany (a) and the (a) USA and the (b) USAin Mt/a (b) [15–17]. in Mt/a [15–17]. Gypsum is suitableGypsum for closed-loop is suitable forrecyclin closed-loopg due to recyclingits chemical due composition. to its chemical It con- composition.
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