Drywall As Soil Amendment
I've suspected this was possible for many different reasons. I've heard of old drywall being used since the gypsum doesn't change soil pH while adding needed calcium to the soil. I've also suspected that even if drywall were no longer made of true gypsum and did change pH, it wouldn't be a bad thing here in the wonderful North East US - where acid rain leaches calcium out of our soil faster than the rain falls.
So - I keep looking for proof. I found it!
While I'm not an advocate of man-made fertilizer, this article clearly shows that drywall can indeed be used in soil amendment. Not only does gypsum have calcium, it also has magnesium - something many areas lack an quantity - producing pale leaves with dark green veins. The calcium itself helps plants survive moisture swings as well as produce strong root systems.
If you have a building project, save the old drywall, save the scraps, and use it in your yard.
I have been expirementing with the best way to pulverize the drywall easily. If you ever look at a house that has burned, you don't see drywall remaining. It crumbles. I wasn't sure if that was from the fire or the water.
It's the fire. Even in a very cool fire of a few pieces of kindling, it becomes incredibly brittle and crumbles easily. So - I am going to start burning our scraps in our woodburning stove this winter. Mixed with the potassium (potash) in the ashes, it will be an incredible mineral supplement to our lawn, for no additional carbon load.
I haven't tried driving over it yet, but would guess this would yield rlatively good results, albeit with an additional carbon load of the auto doing the work.
Excerpts:
BACKGROUND. In 2001, WasteCap Wisconsin, a nonprofit organization based in Milwaukee that provides waste reduction and recycling assistance for businesses, provided waste management services during the construction of Alliant Energy Corporation's worldwide corporate headquarters in Madison, Wis. Part of the project involved finding a recycling market for its drywall scrap. WasteCap opted for land application of the drywall to agricultural fields. Gypsum drywall compares favorably with agricultural gypsum in its chemical composition, according to a study by R.F. Korcak at the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
WasteCap Wisconsin conducted research into the uses of scrap drywall. It was greatly aided in this effort by a drywall recycling bibliography compiled by John Reindl, the Dane County, Wis., Recycling Coordinator. This research revealed that gypsum was a vital ingredient in many manufactured fertilizers and that a fertilizer manufacturing plant operated by Royster-Clark, a large national producer and distributor of agricultural chemicals, was located in Madison, Wis.
The Royster-Clark plant produces 50,000 to 70,000 tons of fertilizer products annually, at times purchasing 5,000 tons of agricultural gypsum yearly as an ingredient in those products. It is estimated that 3,000 to 5,000 tons of waste drywall are generated each year in Dane County, the county in which Madison is located.
COLLECTION. Royster-Clark needed a minimum of 20 tons of gypsum to conduct proper manufacturing tests, but it preferred to receive 50 tons. This amount would allow the company to test different products and processes and to give it a better idea of how to best use the material.
WasteCap identified two sources for scrap drywall. Between February and June of 2003, First Choice Drywall collected 62 tons of scrap drywall from the Overture Center for the Arts construction site by J. H. Findorff & Son and from Don Simon Homes (now Veridian Homes) construction sites. Pellitteri Waste Systems donated dumpsters for storage of the scrap drywall.
STORAGE. The best available option was storing and processing the material at the Royster-Clark plant. It had many advantages. It was large--more than 17 acres--and closer to the central city than the landfill, reducing hauling distances. It had a paved area where the material could be stockpiled and was fenced so that tampering wouldn't be an issue. The plant was also adjacent to the manufacturing site, eliminating transportation costs after processing. It even had a truck scale adjacent to the site so the incoming material could be weighed.
GRINDING AND SCREENING. Kevin Peterson of Construction Waste Solutions (CWS) of Minneapolis, Minn., approached WasteCap Wisconsin to offer grinding and screening services for the project. The company was developing a new horizontal grinding machine with a sealed hopper to mitigate dust when grinding drywall. WasteCap Wisconsin wanted to do whatever it could to avoid dust issues in the project, so we agreed to use the new CWS machine.
We were able to deliver about 40 tons of finished product to the Royster-Clark plant. Two weeks later, Royster-Clark successfully used the gypsum in the manufacture of Sulfa-Cal fertilizer.
LESSONS LEARNED. For fertilizer manufacturing, the paper must be removed during the screening of the ground drywall. This is necessary because the manufacturer screens its product to clean it before it is packaged. Paper fibers left in the gypsum can clog the product screens.
Portable equipment is probably not suitable for use in a permanent drywall processing operation. For highest efficiency, grinding and screening operations must occur in one continuous flow, and each machine must be adjusted to maximize production.
A significant pan of the value to the manufacturer of gypsum from scrap drywall is that it is much drier than the mined agricultural gypsum it buys, which is so moist it often clumps up and sticks to the sides of feeder bins, making it difficult to maintain an even production flow in the plant.
In April 2004, Royster-Clark conducted another manufacturing test using 100 tons of ground, screened drywall gypsum. Royster-Clark has also expressed an interest in establishing a permanent scrap drywall processing facility. If all goes well, a business plan will be produced and work on a permanent facility could begin in 2005.
Bibliography for "Nourishing a market: a WasteCap Wisconsin project recycles gypsum drywall into fertilizer"
Ralph McCall "Nourishing a market: a WasteCap Wisconsin project recycles gypsum drywall into fertilizer". Construction & Demolition Recycling. May-June 2004. FindArticles.com. 24 Sep. 2007. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0QMH/is_3_6/ai_n6048615
Technical Aspect of Gypsum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsum
So - I keep looking for proof. I found it!
While I'm not an advocate of man-made fertilizer, this article clearly shows that drywall can indeed be used in soil amendment. Not only does gypsum have calcium, it also has magnesium - something many areas lack an quantity - producing pale leaves with dark green veins. The calcium itself helps plants survive moisture swings as well as produce strong root systems.
If you have a building project, save the old drywall, save the scraps, and use it in your yard.
I have been expirementing with the best way to pulverize the drywall easily. If you ever look at a house that has burned, you don't see drywall remaining. It crumbles. I wasn't sure if that was from the fire or the water.
It's the fire. Even in a very cool fire of a few pieces of kindling, it becomes incredibly brittle and crumbles easily. So - I am going to start burning our scraps in our woodburning stove this winter. Mixed with the potassium (potash) in the ashes, it will be an incredible mineral supplement to our lawn, for no additional carbon load.
I haven't tried driving over it yet, but would guess this would yield rlatively good results, albeit with an additional carbon load of the auto doing the work.
Excerpts:
BACKGROUND. In 2001, WasteCap Wisconsin, a nonprofit organization based in Milwaukee that provides waste reduction and recycling assistance for businesses, provided waste management services during the construction of Alliant Energy Corporation's worldwide corporate headquarters in Madison, Wis. Part of the project involved finding a recycling market for its drywall scrap. WasteCap opted for land application of the drywall to agricultural fields. Gypsum drywall compares favorably with agricultural gypsum in its chemical composition, according to a study by R.F. Korcak at the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
WasteCap Wisconsin conducted research into the uses of scrap drywall. It was greatly aided in this effort by a drywall recycling bibliography compiled by John Reindl, the Dane County, Wis., Recycling Coordinator. This research revealed that gypsum was a vital ingredient in many manufactured fertilizers and that a fertilizer manufacturing plant operated by Royster-Clark, a large national producer and distributor of agricultural chemicals, was located in Madison, Wis.
The Royster-Clark plant produces 50,000 to 70,000 tons of fertilizer products annually, at times purchasing 5,000 tons of agricultural gypsum yearly as an ingredient in those products. It is estimated that 3,000 to 5,000 tons of waste drywall are generated each year in Dane County, the county in which Madison is located.
COLLECTION. Royster-Clark needed a minimum of 20 tons of gypsum to conduct proper manufacturing tests, but it preferred to receive 50 tons. This amount would allow the company to test different products and processes and to give it a better idea of how to best use the material.
WasteCap identified two sources for scrap drywall. Between February and June of 2003, First Choice Drywall collected 62 tons of scrap drywall from the Overture Center for the Arts construction site by J. H. Findorff & Son and from Don Simon Homes (now Veridian Homes) construction sites. Pellitteri Waste Systems donated dumpsters for storage of the scrap drywall.
STORAGE. The best available option was storing and processing the material at the Royster-Clark plant. It had many advantages. It was large--more than 17 acres--and closer to the central city than the landfill, reducing hauling distances. It had a paved area where the material could be stockpiled and was fenced so that tampering wouldn't be an issue. The plant was also adjacent to the manufacturing site, eliminating transportation costs after processing. It even had a truck scale adjacent to the site so the incoming material could be weighed.
GRINDING AND SCREENING. Kevin Peterson of Construction Waste Solutions (CWS) of Minneapolis, Minn., approached WasteCap Wisconsin to offer grinding and screening services for the project. The company was developing a new horizontal grinding machine with a sealed hopper to mitigate dust when grinding drywall. WasteCap Wisconsin wanted to do whatever it could to avoid dust issues in the project, so we agreed to use the new CWS machine.
We were able to deliver about 40 tons of finished product to the Royster-Clark plant. Two weeks later, Royster-Clark successfully used the gypsum in the manufacture of Sulfa-Cal fertilizer.
LESSONS LEARNED. For fertilizer manufacturing, the paper must be removed during the screening of the ground drywall. This is necessary because the manufacturer screens its product to clean it before it is packaged. Paper fibers left in the gypsum can clog the product screens.
Portable equipment is probably not suitable for use in a permanent drywall processing operation. For highest efficiency, grinding and screening operations must occur in one continuous flow, and each machine must be adjusted to maximize production.
A significant pan of the value to the manufacturer of gypsum from scrap drywall is that it is much drier than the mined agricultural gypsum it buys, which is so moist it often clumps up and sticks to the sides of feeder bins, making it difficult to maintain an even production flow in the plant.
In April 2004, Royster-Clark conducted another manufacturing test using 100 tons of ground, screened drywall gypsum. Royster-Clark has also expressed an interest in establishing a permanent scrap drywall processing facility. If all goes well, a business plan will be produced and work on a permanent facility could begin in 2005.
Bibliography for "Nourishing a market: a WasteCap Wisconsin project recycles gypsum drywall into fertilizer"
Ralph McCall "Nourishing a market: a WasteCap Wisconsin project recycles gypsum drywall into fertilizer". Construction & Demolition Recycling. May-June 2004. FindArticles.com. 24 Sep. 2007. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0QMH/is_3_6/ai_n6048615
Technical Aspect of Gypsum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsum
posted by Leslie at
10:07 PM
1 Comments:
Really great post that briefly explain the uses of gypsum in the drywall soil.These gypsum play very important in role in home interior as well. We are leading gypsum manufacturer in Rajastan. You can visit our site as well. Thanks
By
Unknown, At
September 7, 2016 at 7:52 AM
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home