An international team of scientists, including from Russia, proposes an economical way to produce high-quality bonding building materials, the basis of which is synthetic gypsum extracted from industrial waste.

The information office of the National Research Technological University in Moscow notes that building bonding materials are widely used in construction processes. These materials are characterized by their light weight, low heat and sound conductivity, fire resistance and ductility. It also does not cause allergies and silicosis, (a lung disease that construction workers suffer from as a result of inhaling dust containing silicon dioxide (silica).

The international team of scientists, which includes scientists from Russia, Belarus and Ireland, proposes an innovative method to produce high-quality bonding building materials based on synthetic gypsum from industrial waste. This method involves diluting sulfuric acid from waste chemical fiber production with water and then neutralizing it with limestone residues.

The researchers point out that this method of producing gypsum does not require large electrical energy.

“This proposed method for the production of a bonding building material on the basis of synthetic gypsum allows a significant reduction in production costs due to the simplification of production technology,” says Valentin Romanovsky from the National Research Technological University.

The results of the tests of this binder showed that it meets all the requirements of building materials of this category, and is superior to binders based on natural gypsum in several indicators.