Gypsum as a building material
Gypsum is a versatile material and an essential part of our natural habitat: Karst landscapes are impressive with their widely varied vegetation and numerous morphological manifestations.
And man has always used and formed this “natural habitat of gypsum”.
Gypsum rock is one of the most important mineral building materials. Not necessarily in terms of the amount used, although 4-5 million tons are meanwhile quite considerable too. But the more important point is its significance in interior construction.
REA gypsum
Germany’s Federal Emission Control Law of 1983 states that power stations with fossil fuel based combustion plants must be equipped with...
...combustion gas desulphurization plants (in German: Rauchgasentschwefelungsanlagen) hence the name REA. The implementation of this law was a great step in nationally reducing air pollution. Here at Knauf we played an essential role in enhancing the development of this desulphurization technology:It is a simple, wet cleaning method using natural lime and finally producing moist, particulate flue gas gypsum – REA gypsum – that can be directed straight into the economic cycle of the building material industry.
Both the desulphurization technology and the development of methods of using this REA gypsum in the building material industry are based on the results of our research and development work, our know-how and our close cooperation with power station operators. These methods now prevail in both western and eastern Europe: This is a fine example of European cooperation and an important contribution to the global protection of nature and the environment.
REA gypsum develops as a result of the same physical laws that govern the development of natural gypsum. The only difference being that this process takes place in fast motion within a few hours, whereas nature needed millions of years to form the layers of gypsum.
