Due to the changes in restrictions and the increase in the cost of landfill, the Gypsum Industry is looking for an alternative to handle the estimated 300,000 tons of new build plasterboard waste generated every year.

The traditional way of separating gypsum from its backing is to use hammer mills, in conjunction with sieves, which is costly and generates a lot of dust.

Atritor offers reprocessing solutions for unwanted, damaged and scrap materials. The Atritor Turbo Separator is ideal for use in the separation of gypsum from the cardboard and paper  backing.  The
system includes a raw material in-feed conveyor and two out-feed conveyors; one for the reclaimed gypsum and the other for the backing material. The system is capable of reclaiming up to 99% of the gypsum from the backing materials. The process significantly reduces waste disposal costs, enabling both the gypsum and backing materials to be recycled in an environmentally friendly and cost effective manner.

To date, Atritor has supplied three dedicated installations for the recovery of gypsum.

One system was supplied to a major Plasterboard Manufacturer to handle both wet and dry board. The reject board is dried prior to being separated, which is then reduced in  size  before  being  re-
Plasterboard due for Separation
introduced into the production line. The system made a saving of 10% in raw material costs and a further 10% in labour costs for our client.

Backing after separation
The remaining two Atritor Turbo Separator systems were supplied to Waste Treatment Companies. The companies collect gypsum board from many sources, including new build developments, public council recycling centres, demolition sites and plasterboard manufacturing sites, to name but a few. The recovered gypsum is recycled back into the Cement Industry and the backing is used as fuel to generate energy.

The raw material is fed into the hopper of the in-feed conveyor, which transports and empties it into the inlet of the Turbo Separator. On entering the machine, the material is cycled through the Turbo Separator's agitator which separates the gypsum from the backing. This is achieved by the specially designed arrangement of the beater blades and breaker bars. The gypsum is routed through an integrated screen to the central discharge hopper. Various screen sizes and types are available depending on the product's size and consistency. The packaging material continues through the Separator's cylindrical body, to an end discharge, for disposal or recycling.

If you would like to find out more about this technology, or wish to discuss the options for testing your materials and products using our demonstration Turbo Separator system, please feel free to contact us.