The Circular Economy:Plasterboard Case Study

Steve HemmingsHead of EHS & Sustainability, Siniat LtdNovember 2015

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About Siniat:Who we are

• Leading UK manufacturer of plasterboard and supplier of drywall systems

– 430 employees

– £150 million turnover

• Our main raw material is gypsum*

– 95% of board composition: strategic importance

map

* Calcium sulphate di-hydrate, CaSO4 . 2H2O

Production Plant

Depot

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Gypsum:Perfect material for the Circular Economy

Raw material(gypsum)

• Finished product is same chemical substance as the starting raw material

• Material can therefore be recycled many times without loss of quality

• Recycling of construction site waste is already widely practised

Plasterboard(gypsum)

Hydrate

Remove Paper

HeatPlaster

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Gypsum:2 Main Sources

• Left: Natural Gypsum imported by sea to Bristol (approx 65%)

• Below: By-product Gypsum from neighbouring power station to Ferrybridge (approx 35%)

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Outlook forBy-product Gypsum

EU Carbon plan means coal-fired electricity generation will decline in Europe; By-product gypsum availability after 2020 will be significantly reduced

Circular Economy solution: to avoid a return to mining virgin material, harvest the gypsum resource already in the built environment

Challenge: progressively replace by-product gypsum with material from the deconstruction of buildings

Forecast Gypsum Production (Mt/year)

Introducing the Project:“Gypsum to Gypsum” (G2G)

• 1 of 16 supply-chain partners in 7 countries

• €3.5 million budget

• Project Objectives

– 1. Design for deconstruction

– 2. Material segregation at end of life

– 3. Boosting recyclate levels to 30% in new products

To meet this challenge Siniat joined an EU LIFE funded R&D Project (2013 -2015)

G2G Project ResultsNovember 2015

Project results presented in Brussels 17 November

– 5 pilot deconstruction recycling trials in 4 countries

– Average Site Cost savings (deconstruction with segregation/ recycling versus demolition and landfilling mixed waste) were 10%

– Recyclate inclusion rates of 18-30% achieved

– Cost, Energy and Carbon neutral for production

– Life cycle carbon savings of 9% versus business as usual (cradle to cradle)

The UK pilot trial included gypsum materials harvested in the 2015 EU Green Capital….

G2G Project ResultsThe Circular Economy in Bristol

Material from St Lawrence House (Nelson St) refurbishment was recycled into new plasterboard product used in its conversion to student accommodation

The objective of a circular economy is to preserve and maintain the value of products and materials in the economy for as long as possible, while reducing the excessive consumption of

primary resources as well as minimising the generation of non-recyclable waste

European Commission Circular Economy Action Plan, 2 December 2015