Cement, Energy and Environment

From the above table, it can be seen that, the expected quality of Synthe c Gypsum from FGD plants is as good as by-product gypsum from fer liser/chemical industries and unlike Phospho- gypsum; Synthe c Gypsum will not have the problem of delayed se ng, due to absence of phosphoric oxides. In US, apart from cement industries, Wall board industry is a major customer of Synthe c Gypsum u lisa on. Though this industry is in nascent stages in India, boards made out of gypsum are becoming more and more popular in India as Par on walls in high rise building, which results in substan al reduc on of construc on costs and me. All the major mul na onals like Saint Gobain (Gyproc), Boral & Gyp Elite, India have already started manufacturing Gypsum boards in India and have plans for expansion of exis ng plants and also to establish new manufacturing facili es. In next two years, the total wall/plaster board industry is expected to reach a capacity of over 1.5 Million M2 per annum and the demand for Gypsum is expected to be > 1.2 Million Tons per annum. Various data from developed na ons indicate that, the quality of SG from FGD plants can replace completely the tradi onal source of gypsum i.e. Mineral gypsum, thus conserving the natural gypsum in the country and reducing mining ac vi es of gypsum. By year 2022, with the projected availability of Synthe c Gypsum over 15 million tons per annum, Synthe c Gypsum can completely eliminate the imports of gypsum, mee ng the projected demands of Cement and Wall board industry in the country. Recommenda on for processing of SG for Reduc on in logis cs costs op misa on One of the major impediments for selling SG to cement and wall board industry is the High moisture content of SG (10- 12percent), when it is generated at FGD plant. Cement industry (especially grinding units within a distance of 300 Km.) & Paper board industry tradi onally use mineral gypsum, which contains a moisture content of less than 3 percent. Hence handling, storage and processing of mineral gypsum is easy as compared to SG at these loca ons. This is one of the reasons for giving first priority for Mineral Gypsum usage by these plants. Because of higher moisture content in SG, the logis cs costs are higher for SG and also addi onal costs for drying by customers. Ac on Plan for Use of Synthe c Gypsum by Cement Industry It is expected that, over next 5 years, the availability of Synthe c Gypsum from Power Plants can become a major source of gypsum for cement industry. It is necessary for Cement industry to ini ate ac ons considering the merits and demerits given below for its usage. Merits · As the purity of SG is be er than indigenous mineral gypsum and also it is in powder form, the usage factors such as percent consump on and specific energy consump ons are favourable for it usage. · SG is expected to have a more consistent quality as compared to Mineral gypsum · SG can par ally or fully replace usage of Phospho- gypsum. · As SG poses a disposal problem for Power Plants, the landed costs of SG at Cement Plants will be a rac ve. Demerits · As SG contains moisture of 10- 12 percent, unloading and handling, storage and dosing systems of exis ng plants may require a revamp. 52