National Gypsum Company's Shippingport, Pa., wallboard plant has won the 2002 Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence. The award was presented at a special ceremony this morning at the Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa.
The Shippingport Plant uses byproduct gypsum from nearby First Energy's Bruce Mansfield Plant to manufacture wallboard. The byproduct gypsum is produced as the power plant scrubs its high-sulfur coal emissions.
Traditionally, the wallboard production process starts by crushing gypsum rock, heating it to remove moisture, then adding water to form a stucco slurry. The stucco is sandwiched between two layers of paper and dried in a kiln, producing a durable wall panel with fire-resistant properties.
Instead of using gypsum rock, the Shippingport location operates around the clock and uses 100 percent byproduct gypsum at a rate of 70-80 tons per hour. This material formerly was disposed of in First Energy's Little Blue Run landfill. The byproduct gypsum is transferred from the power plant to the wallboard plant by a 1.5-mile conveyor system.
As in other National Gypsum plants, the Shippingport operation recycles in several other areas as well. Waste wallboard goes back into the system, and trimmings from paper rolls are sent to the company's paper product plants for recycling. National Gypsum also produces its wallboard facing papers from recycled paper at its four paper mills.
Process wastewater is recycled, resulting in zero discharge. All storm water generated at the Shippingport site is treated in sedimentation ponds prior to discharge. Dust collected in the facility's baghouse system is recycled into the process. The state-of-the-art baghouses are designed for particulate removal efficiency greater than 99.9 percent.
Parts washing solvents used in maintenance activities, waste oils, spent vehicle batteries, and scrap metal are sent to third-part recyclers. All combustion sources are equipped with low NOx burners to reduce emissions.
National Gypsum supplies wallboard, interior finishing products, and cement backerboard to the construction industry. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., the company has a network of 31 plants in North America and employs approximately 2,700 employees.