GYPSUM GYPSUM

45 Gypsum
ypsum (CaSO 4.2H 2O) is a hydrated calcium sulphate used widely in industry because of its special property of losing three-fourths of the combined water of crystallisation when moderately heated (calcined) to about 130 o C. Besides, calcined gypsum when cooled, finely ground and made plastic with water can be spread out, cast or moulded to any desired surface or form. On drying, it sets into a hard rock-like form. Selenite is a colourless, transparent, crystalline variety of gypsum, whereas alabaster is a fine grained, massive variety, white or shaded in colour. Silky and fibrous variety of gypsum is called satin spar. Anhydrite (CaSO 4) is a calcium sulphate mineral found associated with gypsum commonly as a massive or fibrous mineral. Gypsum that occurs in nature is called mineral gypsum. In addition to mineral gypsum, seawater and some chemical plants are sources of by-product marine gypsum and by-product chemical gypsum, respectively. The latter is obtained as by-product phospho-, fluro- or boro-gypsum, depending upon the source. Phosphoric acid plants are important sources of by-product phospho-gypsum. Marine gypsum is recovered from salt pans during production of common salt in coastal region, particularly in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The recovery of by-product gypsum and marine gypsum together is substantial and is comparable with the production of mineral gypsum.
Production (Thousand tonnes)

unclassified and not-known grades together account for 12% resources. The remaining one percent resources are shared by surgical plaster and soil reclamation grades. By States, Rajasthan alone accounts over 81% resources and Jammu & Kashmir 14% resources. The remaining 5% resources are in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh (Table-1).

EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT

During 2008-09, DMG, Rajasthan carried out exploration in Bhayanwala, Akkasar Teh. Pugal, Ramosar, Teh. Kolayat in Bikaner dist. About 330 sq km area was covered under RMS (1:50,000 scale), 50 sq km under RGM (1:10,000 scale) and 8 sq km under DGM (1:2000 scale). 39 samples were collected for chemical analysis. The studies indicated that the gypsum bed is 1 metre thick in average and lies below an overburden up to 1 metre of sand dunes. The area is potential for gypsum and a total of 10.4 million tonnes of gypsum resources were estimated.

Production of Gypsum 1999-2000 to 2008-09

4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09

Synthetic gypsum is recovered via flue gas desulfurisation at some coal fired electric power plants. In Asia, the best quality gypsum is supplied by the Mohangarh Mines, dist. Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

RESOURCES
As per UNFC system, the total resources of mineral gypsum in India as on 1.4.2005 are estimated at 1,237 million tonnes, of which 69 million tonnes have been placed under 'reserves' and 1,168 million tonnes under 'remaining resources' category. Of the total resources, fertilizer/pottery grade accounts for about 79% and cement/paint grade 8%. The 45-1

Year

Table 1 : Reserves/Resources of Gypsum as on 1.4.2005 (By Grades/States)

(In 000 tonnes) Reserves Probable STD121 1276 26579 68658 285 10418 7756 9033 710681 430034 10 STD122 STD221 STD222 1168218 1236876 Total (A) Feasibility STD211 Pre-feasibility Measured STD331 Indicated STD332 Inferred STD333 Reconnaissance Total STD334 (B) Remaining resources Total resources (A+B)

Grade/State

Proved STD111

All India : Total

40803

By Grades 1050 81 134 11 66 1585 56 56 7758 2944 398 1813 426 2088 55 25739 43530 285 60 5534 1209 2854 41096 7927 108876 23191 299 22122 9252 135 703244 244882 87 1137 680 4062 10 4742 957513 51047 10496 119578 24842 5879 979635 94577 12309 119634 24842

Surgical plaster

Fertilizer/pottery

21742

Cement/paint

17657

Soil reclamation

1404

Unclassified

GYPSUM

Not-known

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9 1142 125 1010 1505 18670 54192 197 369 6875 12919 285 9852 1365 44 653 5660 35 24 42 7680 1353 -

By States 710454 227 404 15138 3081 146055 3784 69 239951 19540 2012 10 404 15138 4446 163916 3784 69 952608 25806 2047 404 15179 4446 176835 3784 69 1006800 27311 2047

Andhra Pradesh

Gujarat

Himachal Pradesh

Jammu & Kashmir

6044

Karnataka

Madhya Pradesh

Rajasthan

34381

Tamil Nadu

369

Uttarakhand

Figures rounded off.

GYPSUM

PRODUCTION, STOCKS AND PRICES

Gypsum
The production of gypsum at 3.71 million tonnes in 2008-09 increased by 9% as compared to that in the previous year. There were 26 reporting mines during the year as against 31 in the preceding year. Two principal producers together accounted for about 99% of the total production of gypsum in 2008-09. Six mines, each producing above 2 lakh tonnes annually contributed about 77% of total production. One mine producing more than 1 lakh tonne contributing about 5% of the total production and 14 mines each producing 10 thousand tonnes to one lakh tonnes accounted for 18% production. A nominal production of gypsum was reported from 5 other mines each producing below 5,000 tonnes annually. Almost the entire production of gypsum was contributed by public sector. Rajasthan continued to be the leading producer, contributing 99% of the total output. The rest 1% was contributed by Jammu & Kashmir and Gujarat (Tables - 2 to 5). The mine-head stocks of gypsum at the end of the year 2008-09 were 18,666 tonnes as against 126,713 tonnes at the beginning of the year (Table 6). The average daily employment of labour in gypsum mines during 2008-09 was 235 as against 185 in the previous year. Domestic prices of gypsum are furnished in Table-7.

Selenite
The production of selenite was 13,952 tonnes in 2008-09 as against 3,864 tonnes during the preceding year. The entire production of selenite was reported from Bikaner district in Rajasthan (Tables 8 and 9). Mine-head stock was nil in both the years. The average daily employment of labour in selenite mines during 2008-09 was 15 as against 18 in the previous year. Domestic prices of selenite are given in Table 10. Table 2 : Principal Producers of Gypsum 2008-09
Location of mine Name and address of producer State Rajasthan State Mines & Minerals Ltd C-80/90, Janpath Scheme, Lalkothi, Jaipur, Rajasthan. Jammu and Kashmir Mineral Limited Surya Hotel, Residency Road, Srinagar- 190 001 Jammu & Kashmir Rajasthan District Bikaner Sri Ganganagar Jaisalmer

Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar

Table 3 : Production of Gypsum, 2006-07 to 2008-09 (By States)

(Qty. in tonnes; value in Rs.000) 2006-07 State Quantity India Gujarat Jammu & Kashmir Rajasthan Tamil Nadu 3005572 58 23903 2953661 27950 Value 494241 10 18572 468671 6988 Quantity 3400050 173 13000 3386877 Value 719738 27 7215 712496 Quantity 3715978 201 2442 3713335 Value 840698 20 1355 839323 2007-08 2008-09 (p)

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GYPSUM Table 4 : Production of Gypsum, 2007-08 & 2008-09 (By Sectors/States/Districts)

(Qty. in tonnes; value in Rs.000) 2007-08 State/District No. of mines India Public sector Private sector Gujarat Kachchh Jammu & Kashmir Doda Rajasthan Barmer Bikaner Hanumangarh Jaisalmer Jalore Nagaur Sri Ganganagar 31 25 6 5 5 1 1 25 1 9 3 2 1 _ 9 Quantity Value No. of mines 26 22 4 4 4 1 1 21 6 4 2 1 1 7 Quantity Value 2008-09 (p)

3400050 3312848 87202 173 173 13000 13000 3386877 530 1681933 82045 994373 69780 _ 558216

719738 699902 19836 27 27 7215 7215 712496 371 348599 17229 212676 14654 _ 118967

3715979 3715777 202 202 202 2442 2442 3713335 1985703 150902 691112 55916 348957 480745

840698 840678 20 20 20 1355 1355 839323 445008 35213 159589 13079 82005 104429

Table 5 : Production of Gypsum, 2007-08 & 2008-09 (p) (By Frequency Groups)
(Qty. in tonnes) Production group No. of mines Production for the group 2007-08 3400050 5173 16585 232033 319201 116286 2710772 2008-09 3715978 1268 4632 192316 466155 192961 2858646 Percentage in total production 2007-08 100.0 0.2 0.5 6.8 9.4 3.4 79.7 2008 -09 100.0 03 0.1 5.1 12.5 5.1 76.9 Cumulative percentage 2007-08 0.2 0.7 7.5 16.9 20.3 100.00 2008-09 0.3 0.4 5.5 18.0 23.1 100.00

2007-08 All Groups Up to 1001 5001 1000 - 5000 - 10000 31 6 2 9 8 1 5

2008-09 26 3 2 7 7 1 6

10001 - 50000 50001 - 100000 100001- 200000 above 200000

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GYPSUM Table 6 : Mine-head Stocks of Gypsum, 2008-09 (p) (By States)

(In tonnes) State India Gujarat Jammu & Kashmir Rajasthan At the beginning of the year 126713 324 10 126379 At the end of the year 18666 368 2 18296

Table 7 : Prices of Gypsum, 2006-07 to 2008-09 (Domestic Markets)

(In Rs. per tonne) Grade r.o.m. 75% CaSO 4.2H2 O r.o.m. 70% CaSO 4.2H2 O r.o.m. 65% CaSO 4.2H2 O Gypsum Powder 70% CaSO4.2H2 O Gypsum Powder 65% CaSO4.2H2 O Gypsum +70% CaSO4.2H2O r.o.m. Gypsum Powder (loose) Powder Packed Gypsum +70% CaSO4.2H2 O Market f.o.r. Kanasar (Rajasthan) f.o.r. Anupgarh (Rajasthan) f.o.r. Hanumangarh (Rajasthan) f.o.r. Hanumangarh (Rajasthan) Ex-mine Ramka (Rajasthan) Ex-Pit RSMML (Rajasthan) Ex-mine Mohangarh (Rajasthan) f.o.r. Suratgarh (Rajasthan) f.o.r. Suratgarh (Rajasthan) f.o.r. Bikaner RSMML (Rajasthan) 2006-07 325 260 290 400 280 130 237 330 480 130 2007-08 325 260 290 400 280 210 237 330 480 210 2008-09 (p) 325 260 290 400 280 210-235 237 330 480 235

Table 8 : Production of Selenite, 2006-07 to 2008-09 (By State)

(Qty in tonnes; value in Rs.000) 2006-07 State Quantity India Rajasthan Value Quantity 3864 3864 Value 3205 3205 Quantity 13952 13952 Value 11 8 1 8 11818 2007-08 2008-09 (p)

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GYPSUM Table 9 : Production of Selenite, 2007-08 and 2008-09 (By Sectors/States/District)

(Qty. in tonnes; value in Rs.000) 2007-08 State/District No. of mines India Public sector Rajasthan Bikaner 2 2 2 2 Quantity 3864 3864 3864 3864 Value 3205 3205 3205 3205 No. of mines 3 3 3 3 Quantity 13952 13952 13952 13952 Value 11 8 1 8 11818 11 8 1 8 11818 2008-09 (p)

Table 10 : Prices of Selenite, 2006-07 to 2008-09 (Domestic Markets)

(In Rs. per tonne) Grade Above 95% CaSO 4 .2H 2 O Above 95% CaSO 4 .2H 2 O Market Ex pit Thob (Rajasthan) Ex pit Lunkaransar (Rajasthan) 2006-07 700 700 2007-08 700 700 2008-09 (p) 850 850

MINING AND MARKETING

Gypsum is worked by opencast manual mining except in a few semi-mechanised mines in Rajasthan. The deposits are found at shallow depths and scattered over large areas. Production is classified into four grades based on the calcium sulphate (CaSO 4 .2H 2O) content: i) above 90%; ii) 85 - 90%; iii) 80 - 85%; and iv) less than 80%. High grade gypsum is mined in Bikaner and Jaisalmer districts of Rajasthan. Some gypsum mines in Bikaner district also produce crystalline variety; i.e., selenite. Rajasthan gypsum is despatched to cement plants in India spread over R a j a s t h a n , G u j a r a t , M a d h y a P r a d e s h , We s t Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, etc. Besides, a substantial quantity of Rajasthan gypsum containing 60-70% CaSO 4.2H 2O is supplied to Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, etc. for reclaiming alkaline soil. A sizeable quantity of gypsum from mines in Barmer, Bikaner, Sri Ganganagar and Nagaur districts of Rajasthan is 45-6

supplied to the plaster of Paris units in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Delhi. Gypsum produced in Tamil Nadu is mainly of cement grade and hence, despatched to cement plants in southern India. India Gypsum Ltd., Thane, specialises in dry construction techniques. It's products are marketed under brand name of gypboard, mineral plaster, gypsteel, cellotex and casoprano.

USES AND SPECIFICATIONS

Cement, fertilizer (ammonium sulphate) and plaster of Paris are the important industries in which gypsum is utilised. Gypsum of less purity in crushed form is utilised in portland cement manufacture for controlling the setting time of portland cement (i.e. as a retarder to prevent quick set). It is added to the clinker just before final grinding to finished cement. Proportion of gypsum in cement industry is 4-5% of the cement produced. Both, mineral and by-product gypsum

GYPSUM are used in cement manufacture. Calcined gypsum finds use in manufacturing plaster of Paris. It is also used in manufacturing partition blocks, sheets and tiles, insulation boards for stucco and lattice works. Gypsum board primarily used as a finish for walls and ceilings. It is also used as a binder in fast dry tenis court clay. Low-grade gypsum is calcined and used as gypsum plaster after preparation of mortar. It is used for internal plastering and masonry work. Requirement of lowgrade gypsum for use in building industry as per IS:12654-1989 is : CaSO4.2H2O not less than 60 %. I n p o t t e r y, c a l c i n e d g y p s u m i s u s e d f o r preparation of moulds in the production of sanitarywares. The used and discarded moulds are in turn again used as source of gypsum in cement and other industries. Low-grade gypsum is used in conditioning alkaline soil, as a manure in agriculture mainly for correcting black alkali soils. BIS has prescribed IS:6046-1982 (First Revision; reaffirmed 1999) for gypsum for agricultural use. Selenite, a crystalline variety is used to a limited extent for gypsum plate for petrological microscopes, known as Sensitive Tint. It is also used in the ceramic industry for making moulds, to manufacture surgical grade plaster of Paris and also for producing white cement. Plaster of Paris industry requires high purity gypsum. Different grades of plaster of Paris are manufactured, depending upon the period for setting. For surgical plaster, a minimum 96% CaSO4.2H2O grade gypsum is required. High-purity gypsum is utilised for manufacturing ammonium sulphate fertilizer. Ground pure white gypsum is also used as a filler in paper, paints and textile goods. Ground low grade gypsum is used in mine dusting, manufacture of blackboard chalks and as a filler in insecticides. Besides, gypsum is also used in other industries like pharmaceutical, textile and asbestos products. Alabaster, a dense, massive, granular and translucent variety, is employed as ornamental stone in statuary and interior decoration. BIS specification for by-product gypsum (IS: 10170-1982, reaffirmed 1999) lays down a minimum 70% content of CaSO4.2H2O and maximum limit of 0.75% Na, 1.0% F and 15% free moisture on dry basis. The material should pass 2 mm sieve, but 50% of material should also pass through 0.25 mm (60 mesh) sieve. Specifications of mineral gypsum for different industries are given in Table-11. Table-12 gives the specifications of by-product gypsum for use in plaster, blocks and boards industries, as per IS:12679-1989, reaffirmed 2005. Besides, BIS has prescribed IS : 1290 - 1973 (Second Revision; reaffirmed 1999) for mineral gypsum.

BY-PRODUCT GYPSUM
Phospho-gypsum

Phospho-gypsum is produced as a by-product during the manufacture of phosphoric acid by wet process. Generally, a tonne of phosphoric acid production generates about 4.5 to 5 tonnes of phospho-gypsum. The principal manufacturing units of phospho-gypsum are given in Table-13. The production of phospho-gypsum reported by FACT, Ambalamedu, Kerala during 2008-09 was 2.3 lakh tonnes and by Coromandal Fertilizers Ltd., Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu was 2 lakh tonnes. The purity of phospho-gypsum ranges from 77 to 98% CaSO 4.2H 2O. It contains about 0.2 to 0.7% total P 2O 5. Phospho-gypsum is mostly used in cement and fertilizer industries. Fluorine and phosphate contents in by-product gypsum are considered deleterious. The phosphate content affects setting properties of cement and fluorine content causes ring formation in kiln. The limit generally specified for use in cement is 0.15% P2O5 maximum. Phospho-gypsum is radioactive due to the presence of naturally occuring uranium and radium in the phosphate ore. Phospho-gypsum contains about 1% P 2O5, 1% F and 10 to 30 times more radon, none is desirable. These entities along with radon that were scare in the 1980s resulted in a 1989 EPA [(Environment Protection Agency), USA] ruling that phospho-gypsum is unsuitable for sale as common gypsum.

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GYPSUM Table 11 : Specifications of Mineral Gypsum in Different Industries

Constituent Free water Surgical plaster 1.0% (max) 1.0% (max) 0.7% (max) 0.1% (max) 0.5% (max) 96.0% (min) Ammonium sulphate fertilizer Pottery Cement Reclamation of soil Extender in paints 0.5% (max) when heated for 2 hr. at 450C 75% (min)

1.0% (max) 3.0% (max) 6.0% (max) 1.0% (max) 1.5% (max) 85.0% (min)

CO2 SiO2 & other insoluble matter Iron & aluminium oxide MgO CaSO4.2H2O

6.0% (max) 1.5% (max) 1.0% (max) 85-90% (min)

3.0 (max) 70-75% (80-85% for export quality cement) 0.5% (max) -

70% (min)

NaCl Na2 O Fineness

0.01% (max) -

0.003% (max) -

0.1% (max) -

0.75% (max) (Na)

Residue on Residue on 240 2 mm sieve : mesh B.S. Nil & on test sieve : 0.5% 0.25 mm sieve : 50% (max) Within 5% of the approved sample Close match to the approved sample 0.5% (max) when lead-free gypsum is required In the form of dry powder Material should match entirely with the characteristics of gypsum crystals

Oil absorption Colour Lead & its compounds (calculated as metallic lead) Physical form Microscopic form

Table 12 : Requirement of By-product Gypsum for Use in Plaster, Blocks and Boards (IS:12679 - 1989, Reaffirmed 2005)
Sl. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Characteristic Phospho-gypsum P2O5, % by mass, max F, % by mass, max Na2O, % by mass, max K2O, % by mass, max Organic matter, % by mass, max CaSO4.2H 2O, % by mass, max Cl as NaCl, % by mass, max pH of 10% aqueous suspension of gypsum, min 0.40 0.40 0.10 0.20 0.15 85.0 0.10 5.0 Requirement Fluoro-gypsum 1.0 90.0* 5.0 Marine-gypsum 85.0 0.10 6.0

Note: * Fluoro-gypsum shall be in anhydrous form (as CaSO 4).

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GYPSUM Table 13 : Principal Producers of Phospho-gypsum

State Andhra Pradesh Gujarat Kerala Unit Coromandal Fertilizers Ltd, Visakhapatnam. Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd, Fertilizernagar, Vadodara district. (i) Fertilizers & Chemical Travancore Ltd, Udyogmandal, Ernakulam district. (ii) Fertilizers & Chemical Travancore Ltd, Ambalamedu, Ernakulam district. Maharashtra Orissa Tamil Nadu Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers, Chembur, Mumbai. Paradeep Phosphates Ltd. (i) Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation Ltd, Tuticorin. (ii) Coromandal Fertilizers Ltd, Thiruvallur

Fluoro-gypsum
Fluoro-gypsum is obtained as by-product during the manufacture of aluminium fluoride and hydrofluoric acid using fluorspar. Navin Fluorine Industries, Bhestan, Surat district, Gujarat; Tanfac Industries Ltd, Cuddalore, South Arcot district, Tamil Nadu and Aegies Chemical Ltd, Dombivali, Thane, Maharashtra recover fluoro-gypsum in their chemical plants.

2008-09 in reported from Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Marine gypsum recovered from Gujarat showed 89.72-92.62% CaSO 4.2H 2O, 0.48 to 2.08% NaCl, 0 . 5 7 % M g C l 2, 3 . 4 2 % M g S O 4 a n d 3 . 4 8 t o 7.65% insolubles. As per the IS specification, marine gypsum should contain 85% CaSO 4.2H 2O and maximum 0.1% NaCl.

CONSUMPTION
About 6.85 million tonnes gypsum in all forms was consumed in organised sector in 2008-09 as against 6.14 million tonnes in 2007-08. In addition, a substantial quantity of mineral gypsum as well as phospho-gypsum was used in agricultural sector for conditioning alkaline soil. The respective share of mineral gypsum, by-product phospho & fluoro-gypsum and marine-gypsum & plaster of Paris moulds in total consumption in 2008-09 was about 51%, 43% and 6%, respectively. A major quantity of natural gypsum in 2008-09 was consumed in the manufacture of cement (95.3%) and plaster of Paris (4.6%). The remaining 0.1% consumption was in asbestos products, ceramic, f e r t i l i z e r, textile, pharmaceuticals, refractory and chemical industries. The entire quantity of marine and gypsum moulds was consumed in cement and ceramic industries. Phospho-gypsum was consumed mainly for manufacture of cement (99.9%) and a meagre consumption was in ceramic industry in 2008-09 (Table - 14).

Boro-gypsum
By-product boro-gypsum is obtained at a plant which refines calcium borates (colemanite and ulexite) to produce borax and boric acid. Borax Morarjee Ltd, Ambarnath, Thane district, Maharashtra and Southern Borax Ltd, Chennai engaged in refining of borates were reporting production of by-product boro-gypsum, in the past. However, detailed information on production of boro-gypsum from these two plants is not available. National Peroxide Ltd, Kalyan, Maharashtra is producing sodium perborate and information on production of boro-gypsum, if any, is not available.

Marine Gypsum
Marine gypsum is obtained as a by-product in the production of common salt by solar evaporation. The total production of marine gypsum as per the Salt Commissioner, Jaipur, was 221,717 tonnes in 2007-08 and 146,028 tonnes in

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GYPSUM Table 14 : Reported Consumption of Gypsum, 2006-07 to 2008-09 (By Industries & Categorywise)
Category All Industries: Natural-Gypsum: Industry Grand Total Total Asbestos products Cement Ceramic Fertilizer Glass Paint Pharmaceutical Plaster of Paris Refractory Textile Total Cement Ceramic Chemical Fertilizer Total Cement Ceramic Total Cement Ceramic 2006-07 5716900 3098500 700(5) 2919800(68) 1000(5) 400(4) ++(2) ++(3) 800(1) 175600(8) 100(1) 100(4) 2246100 2245500(72) 600(1) ++(1) ++(2) 369500 368000(23) 1500(1) 2800 ++(2) 2800(5) 2007-08(R) 6191900 3212400 700(5) 3033700(68) 1000(5) 400(4) ++(2) ++(3) 800(1) 175600(8) 100(1) 100(4) 2598500 2597900(73) 600(1) ++(1) ++(2) 378400 376900(23) 1500(1) 2600 ++(2) 2600(5)

(In tonnes) 2008-09(p) 7188300 3817100 700(5) 3638300(69) 1100(5) 400(4) ++(2) ++(3) 800(1) 175600(8) 100(1) 100(4) 2980600 2980000(77) 600(1) ++(1) ++(2) 387900 386400(23) 1500(1) 2700 ++(2) 2700(5)

By-Product-Gypsum:

Marine-Gypsum:

Gypsum-Moulds:

Figures rounded off. Data collected on non-statutory basis. Figures in parentheses denote the number of units in organised sector reporting* consumption. (*Includes actual reported consumption and/or estimates made wherever required). In addition to the above consumption, gypsum is also consumed in agriculture as soil amendment for reclamation of alkali soils.

INDUSTRY
The India Gypsum Ltd has a plant at Jind, Haryana capable of producing one lakh tpy of gypsum plasterboards and accessories. It uses mineral gypsum produced by RSMML.

Table 15 : World Production of Gypsum (By Principal Countries)

(In '000 tonnes ) Country World: Total Australia @ Canada China France @ Germany # India Iran Italy Mexico Russia Spain @ Thailand United Kingdom USA Other countries 2006 149200 4265 9072 35000 e 4800 1771 3006 10761 1600 6076 2200e 14597 8915 1700 e 21100 24337 2007 151400 3896 7638 e 37000 e 4800 1898 2607 11931 e 1600 6919 2300e 15000 9336 1700 e 17900 26875 2008 140400 3393 5797 e 35000 2339 2112 e 3600 e 12000 e 1600 6933 2400e e 15000 8989 1700 e e 12700 26837

WORLD REVIEW
The world reserve base of gypsum is large and adequate to meet the demand. The total reported production of gypsum in 2008 was about 140.4 million tonnes as against 151.4 million tonnes in 2007. China was the largest producer accounting for 25%, followed by Spain (11%), USA(9%), Iran(8.5%), Thailand (6%), Mexico (5%) and Canada (4%) (Table - 15).

Source: World Mineral Production, 2004-2008. @ Including Anhydrite # Including selenite.

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GYPSUM

FOREIGN TRADE
Exports
Exports of gypsum and plaster increased substantially (73%) to 209,157 tonnes in 2008-09 from 120,582 tonnes in 2007-08. During the same period, export of alabaster was nominal at 5 tonnes against 2 tonnes in the previous year. Gypsum & plaster were exported in bulk to neighbouring countries, viz, Bangladesh (48%) and Nepal (17%). Alabaster was exported to UAE (Tables - 16 and 17).
Country

Table 17 : Exports of Alabaster (By Countries)

2007-08 Qty (t) All Countries UAE Nepal 2 2 Value (Rs. '000) 9 9 2008-09 Qty (t) 5 5 Value (Rs.'000) 33 33 -

Table 18: Imports of Gypsum and Plaster (By Countries)

2007-08 Country Qty (t) All Countries Thailand Iran Oman USA UK China Germany France Singapore Italy Other countries 582215 408104 171187 200 1058 405 479 46 48 175 78 435 Value (Rs. '000) 802051 535522 220821 384 19905 8307 5451 2456 1628 1389 680 5508 Qty (t) Value (Rs.'000) 2008-09

Imports
Imports of gypsum & plaster increased to 890,912 tonnes in 2008-09 from 582,215 tonnes in 2007-08. Imports of alabaster decreased to 397 tonnes in 2008-09 from 658 tonnes in 2007-08. Gypsum & plaster were imported mainly from Thailand (69%) and Iran (25%). Alabaster was imported from Spain and Italy (Tables - 18 and 19).

890912 1419361 616997 221810 48680 857 784 743 205 313 143 60 320 921527 360772 69887 22692 17471 12175 6452 2516 1589 1516 2764

Table 16: Exports of Gypsum and Plaster (By Countries)

2007-08 Country Qty (t) All Countries Bangladesh Nepal UK Israel Nigeria Spain South Africa UAE Bhutan Canada Other countries 120582 56359 35813 6619 19 746 22 1029 460 17000 2515 Value (Rs. '000) 112769 48136 25290 11046 591 959 543 1091 2187 17013 5913 Qty (t) 209157 100227 34905 2609 100 508 68183 339 57 2229 Value (Rs.'000) 157652 96277 24513 19223 3181 2691 1607 1460 550 8150 2008-09

Table 19 : Imports of Alabaster (By Countries)

2007-08 Country Qty (t) All Countries Spain Italy Hong Kong Turkey Mexico 658 365 252 ++ 21 20 Value (Rs. '000) 9777 5283 4036 1 257 200 Qty (t) 397 336 61 ++ Value (Rs.'000) 6822 5916 850 56 2008-09

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GYPSUM

FUTURE OUTLOOK
India's main focus in near future is the creation of more infrastructure with a view to infuse momentum in its economy together with attracting foreign direct investment and participation in its industrial development. These activities will keep the cement industry to grow and accordingly, the consumption of gypsum will

increase. The increased FDI inflows to cement and gypsum products industry in India has led to the growth, expansion and development of the industry. India's domestic resources of gypsum are large to meet increased demand. Steps would be necessary to find out suitable mining technology to exploit deep-seated gypsum resources in Rajasthan.

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