WSU researchers developed a process that pulverizes drywall scrap from construction and demolition to turn it into a usable building material.

Washington State University (WSU) has received a commercialization grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust that will go towards developing nonstructural building materials made from recycled gypsum drywall, WSU reports. The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust helps support community-focused organizations in the Pacific Northwest through grants, enrichment programming and other resources. WSU will partner with Mill Creek, Washington-based DTG Recycle on the initiative.

According to WSU, researchers “developed a unique process that pulverizes the drywall scrap and turns it into a useable building material. The waste is mixed with water and carbon-neutral binders and pressed into building blocks using a low-energy compaction process. The blocks can be made on-site using portable machines or off-site using existing machinery at conventional masonry plants and can use up to 90 percent of the drywall waste.”

According to DTG Associate General Counsel John Martin, both demolition and clean drywall scraps can be used during this process; however, contractors supplying this material from demolition projects have to confirm the material is clean from contaminants that could be harmful to human health or the environment.

According to WSU, the blocks are durable, fireproof, weigh half as much as conventional concrete blocks while providing 10 times the insulation value. The blocks can also be formed in different colors and shapes and be used as tiles, panels or pavers. WSU researchers originally developed the building material technology in 2017 to help reduce waste to landfill, create affordable building material and lower housing costs.

With this grant, WSU researchers will work with DTG Recycle to build a full-scale wall assembly that will serve to demonstrate the use of the building material in real-world applications.

"Our development team has been working with WSU on this since August 2018," Martin says. "The public response so far has been phenomenal, and we’re excited to facilitate the growth of this highly sustainable technology."

DTG CEO Tom Vaughn says that because of the company's current gypsum drywall recycling initiatives, it is prepared to process incoming materials for this project.

"DTG Recycle is uniquely positioned to work with WSU on this project in that we currently perform the front-end portion of the process already (i.e., collection, transportation and grinding to produce gypsum powder)," Vaughn says. "We will be scaling up the WSU technology and producing the drywall block internally and then will leverage our existing customer database which includes numerous architects and general contractors to achieve a rapid launch of the new product. For many of our customers, we envision drywall scraps from their larger projects being turned into drywall blocks and then re-incorporated into those same projects."

On a larger scale, Vaughn says this new technology could help diversify the number and type of off-take customers for gypsum recyclers. He notes it is also an example of how C&D recyclers can take a proactive approach to finding end markets for incoming materials. 

"We believe C&D recyclers must be leaders in new end product development. If you rely on third parties to determine your commodity off-take destiny, you are increasing your risk profile. New technologies, such as the drywall waste block that allow you to vertically integrate your services and diversify your revenue stream are key to a secure future," Vaughn says.

Waste Today's 2020 Corporate Growth Conference will cover the economic impact of COVID-19, tips for selling your business and more during its “State of Mergers & Acquisitions” session.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic sending shockwaves across the waste and recycling industries, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity has remained steady throughout 2020.

With companies such as Canada-based GFL Environmental and Houston-based Waste Management making headlines this year for their high-profile acquisitions, transactions have been taking place at elevated levels, according investment banking company Raymond James.

In order to offer more in-depth insights into capital markets during these uncertain times, Waste Today’s 2020 Corporate Growth Conference will cover the economic impact of COVID-19, tips for selling your business, where the investment opportunities in the waste and environmental services industries lie, and much more during its “State of Mergers & Acquisitions” session.

Taking place on Oct. 14 at 1:28 p.m. EST, the panel discussion will include insights from top executives in the capital markets sector on evaluating valuations, pipelines, the state of capital markets and overall industry activity.

Houlihan Lokey Managing Director Scott Sergeant will lead the session, which features speakers Charles Appleby, founder and chairman of Integrated Waste Solutions Group; Joe Cassin, vice president of business development for Waste Management; Michael Castellarin, managing director for Clairvest Group Inc.; and Scott Foster, partner with KPMG.

To register or for more information on this year’s Corporate Growth Conference, click here.

Texas-based McCourt Equipment, which already carries Superior Industries conveyors, will add crushing and screening products to its portfolio.

Morris, Minnesota-based Superior Industries Inc. says La Grange, Texas-based McCourt Equipment will now carry Superior’s crushing, screening and washing equipment to offer it to its customers in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. McCourt already offers conveyors made by Superior.

“McCourt Equipment has a long history of supporting its customers with a strong inventory, application-experienced resources and responsive service,” says John Garrison, Superior’s vice president of sales. “There’s no better partner in the South Central United States to supply and support the market with these products than McCourt Equipment.”

“Our two brands align well because we’re highly focused on the needs of our customers and energized to do the right thing for them,” says Paul McCourt, president of McCourt Equipment.

Founded in 1999, McCourt Equipment focuses on the aggregates industry and says it has “dozens of employees spread throughout the region.”

Superior says it debuted its new group of crushing, screening and washing equipment in 2016 and 2017, “after several acquisitions and some in-house design projects.” The new products joined its existing and evolving conveyor and custom plant line “to form a complete portfolio of aggregate processing and handling solutions from rock face to load out,” says the firm.

Its products now include jaw, cone and impact crushers; horizontal, inclined and grizzly feeding vibratory equipment; scrubbing, classifying, washing and dewatering solutions; and unloading, transferring and stacking conveyors.

U.K.-based company says its motors are ideal for material handlers and loaders.

Norfolk, United Kingdom-based Equipmake says it is now offering electric motors that offer “huge potential” to create electric-powered versions of off-road and heavy equipment such as material handlers, loaders and bulldozers.

The company says its “range of high-performance yet cost-effective advanced electric motors for off-highway vehicles [can] bring major benefits to multiple types of machinery in terms of power, low running costs and reduced emissions.”

The firm says it has been providing electric vehicle (EV) technology to automotive OEMs and “specialist supercar manufacturers, producing everything from industry-leading electric motors to power electronic systems, all the way up to complete EV drivetrains, while also operating across the agriculture, marine, mining and aerospace” sectors.

“From electric buses to supercars, the APM [advanced permanent magnet] range of motors has made a step change to the efficiency and performance of our automotive clients’ products,” says Ian Foley, managing director of Equipmake. “Those same benefits – high power density and light weight, combined with an extremely compact package that includes integrated components such as the inverter and gearbox – are just as relevant to the world of off-highway.”

The company cites “ever-increasing pressure on minimizing emissions and noise from construction sites, coupled with a drive away from fossil fuels toward improved efficiency and productivity through lower maintenance costs” as reasons spurring the global electric off-highway vehicle market.

Equipmake, citing an India-based MarketsAndMarkets analysis, says the off-highway EV sector is projected to grow from $6.3 billion in sales in 2020 to $17.5 billion by 2025.

The firm’s AMP motors range in output from 125 kilowatts (kW) to 220kW “and weigh as little as 14 kilograms (31 pounds), making Equipmake’s motors the most power dense in global series production.”

Equipmake cites Foley’s work with Williams Racing in the Formula 1 series developing a hybrid engine as having helped it pioneer EV motor technology.

Its permanent magnet motors use a spoke architecture (so-called because the magnets are arranged like the spokes of a wheel) to bring a major cooling advantage, says Equipmake. “Because the motor can be kept cool, it can produce lots of power and torque, use less expensive magnet materials and conventional manufacturing methods, so can be made smaller, lighter and more cost-effective,” states the firm.

“We are experiencing huge demand from the off-highway industry as manufacturers see the benefits that electrified vehicles can bring, from reduced emissions and noise to increased efficiency and lower running costs,” states Foley.

“Factor in the lack of maintenance required compared to traditional diesel machinery, and it is not hard to see why electrification makes so much sense,” he continues. “And, what’s more, Equipmake can work with almost any machinery manufacturer to create an entire, tailor-made electric powertrain.”

A video about Equipmake’s AMP motors can be viewed on this web page.

Supply chain disruptions, prolonged municipal permitting processes and delayed inspections due to office closures are all factors contributing to the increased rate of postponement and/or cancellation of construction projects.

More than 85 percent of contractors have been negatively impacted by COVID-19, according to the results of an August reader survey conducted by Construction Executive (CE) magazine, which is published by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Supply chain disruptions, prolonged municipal permitting processes and delayed inspections due to office closures are all factors contributing to the increased rate of postponement and/or cancellation of construction projects.

While many contractors have not yet seen drastic impacts to their business, as construction was in many areas considered an “essential” service, the long-term implications are concerning. Seventy percent of contractors did not expect the construction industry to stabilize until at least 2021, while an additional 10.4 percent say they believe it may never reach pre-pandemic levels.

“While the survey respondents’ concerns about market viability and the health fears of the virus itself will remain in place for the duration of 2020 and into next year, contractors did report bright spots, such as a widespread adoption of technology after the outbreak of COVID-19,” said Lauren Pinch, editor-in-chief of CE. “That said, as the pandemic continues to change the landscape of the U.S. construction industry and state and local economies, contractors are continuously trying to assess the near- and long-term effects.”

While an uptick in office renovations to meet social distancing guidelines and to implement other COVID-19-related precautions was expected, more than three-quarters of respondents (76.12 percent) stated that they have not found this to be the case. Concerns over indoor air quality and proper ventilation may have also led people to believe there would also be a large increase in HVAC upgrade projects, but only 31.79 percent of respondents stated that this was the case.

Looking toward economic recovery, three-quarters of contractors believe that there will be more interest in construction education programs as people seek out new types of work. Specialty trades, apprenticeship programs, project management training and more tech-focused construction jobs were all listed as areas that contractors believe will see high levels of interest.