Abstract:
Flue-gas gypsum (FGD gypsum), a waste product from the Mae Moh Power Plant, was used as the starting material. Precleaning by a hydrocyclone classifier and by acid leaching and sedimentation significantly reduced the content of impurities in the FGD gypsum such as fly ash, quartz and iron compounds, resulting in a lighter coloured and higher purity product (95.60% dihydrate). Subsequently, the semidry acid-anhydrite technique was adapted to the calcining of the precleaned FGD gypsum to reduce the transition temperatures of beta-hemihydrate and anhydrite. Accordingly, low-temperature multiphase plaster was prepared using 2-step calcination. Firstly, the FGD gypsum with sulphuric acid was calcined at 60 ํC for 1 hour and recalcined at 150 ํC for 3 hours. The obtained multiphase plaster consisted of 29% hemihydrate, 60% anhydriteII, 10% anhydriteIII and 1% dihydrate. At water to plaster ratio equal to 0.6, its viscosity, initial and final setting times were 3633 centipoises, 16.28 and 27.83 minutes, respectively. The flexural strength and hardness of the plaster specimens were 5.07 and 10.79 N/mm2. From the formulation, an applicable projection plaster (viscosity of 600-800 centipoises and initial setting time of 60-70 minutes at water to plaster ratio equal to 0.6) was found with the addition of 1.2 g of sodium lignosulphonate and 0.08 g of melamine to 100 g of dry plaster. However, the remaining impurities imparted a buff colour to the projection plaster. Anhydrite (95% anhydriteII) with crystal morphology ranging from prismatic to platy shapes was achieved by calcining at 100 ํC for 5 hours. Its whiteness measured according to CIE standard was 92.64%