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Gypsum is an inert, safe mineral that has been used in a variety of applications
for centuries. It was used as plaster in the Egyptian pyramids, and today it is
most commonly used in homes and commercial buildings, as gypsum board. Gypsum
board is a rigid, light-weight building product, valued for its fire-resistant
properties.
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National Gypsum owns the largest gypsum quarry in the world
located in Nova Scotia. |
Gypsum has many other uses, too. In fact it is used as a filler ingredient in many
foods. The average person eats about 28 pounds of gypsum in a lifetime. When gypsum
rock is crushed and the water removed, it can be used to make plaster of paris,
commonly used in industry. Ground gypsum is also used as a soil conditioner.
Chemically, gypsum rock is calcium sulfate with two molecules of water. Gypsum rock
is found throughout the world and deposits in North America run from Baja, Mexico,
through Utah and from southwestern Texas to the Niagara River in New York State.
The largest gypsum quarry in the world is located in Nova Scotia and is owned by
National Gypsum.
National Gypsum mines and quarries gypsum rock, crushes and grinds it, and calcines
it to remove chemically bound water.
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Byproduct gypsum stored in a dome at a National Gypsum plant. |
It adds starch and other additives and water to form a stucco slurry. The stucco
is sandwiched between two sheets of paper and hardens, forming gypsum board.
National Gypsum also uses another form of calcium sulfate called byproduct gypsum.
Byproduct gypsum is produced when power companies scrub their coal-fired emissions
to remove sulfur dioxide. The resulting byproduct is calcium sulfate. National Gypsum
can use this solid waste, which would otherwise go to a landfill, to produce gypsum board.
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gypsum (jip'sum), mineral composed of calcium sulfate (calcium, sulfur, and oxygen)
with two molecules of water, CaSO4·2H2O.
Many names and uses:
► Selenite-transparent gypsum
►Alabaster-ornamental art
►Satin Spar-jewelry
►Plaster of Paris
►Gypsum Board
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