As Lafarge has recently beaten its emission reduction goal, we have time to reflect back on one of the processes the French company used to reach their target. They developed, implemented, and successfully tested a process to re-use waste gypsum and plasterboard products gathered from South Korean construction sites.
The by-products from these sites have become a sore in the side of building contractors. Government legislation makes the cost of transportation and land-fill disposal rise every year. In an effort to alleviate pressure on these companies and to reduce the use of landfills, Lafarge set up a waste collection and treatment service. Once collected, the plasterboard is taken to Lafarge’s Ulsan Transformation Workshop where it is broken down into two components. The first is simply gypsum which can be re-used to create new plasterboard. The second is a paper by-product still rich in gypsum. This product is used as a fuel additive in the cement making process. Not only is the paper product good for burning, but local Korean farmers are able to use it as bedding for their livestock and as an alkaline fertilizer for their fields.
Lafarge’s process started small, but managed to collect 15,000 tons of waste in 2009 with a thirty-two percent recycling rate. Their goal is to be able to handle 30,000 tons/year of the waste. Lafarge saw a growing need for South Korean construction companies, and seized on the opportunity not only to help the builders; but more importantly to positively affect the environment.