Top miner vows to use sulfur neutralization byproduct as construction material

Russian diversified metals producer Nornickel announced on Tuesday it had successfully tested gypsum — a byproduct of its flagship environmental project, the Sulfur Programme — for its use in making construction materials.

To conduct lab tests, the miner joined forces with Russian producer of mortars and drywall materials Volma.

Now, only formal environmental impact assessment is required for Nornickel and Volma to launch the production of gypsum-based mortars in Norilsk. The miner claims that all other necessary components, including gravel, sand, and water, are available in the region.

“Instead of lying in storage, the Sulfur Programme gypsum can be offered in the market and used to produce building materials. The first stage of testing has shown that our gypsum contains no harmful impurities. Together with Volma, we are selecting the component mix and developing the mortar formula so that we can enter the market with a new product in the future,” Yekaterina Akhmadeeva, the director of Nornickel’s production and technical department, said.

The company recalls that Norilsk’s ambitious renovation plans require construction materials, and, given the city’s remote location, their local production will be more feasible. Once local demand is saturated, products can be exported via the Northern Sea Route.

Nornickel’s Sulfur Programme stipulates sulfur dioxide recovery at Nadezhda and Copper plants of the Company’s Polar Division to radically reduce harmful emissions in Norilsk. Two-stage process includes the intermediate production of sulfuric acid and its further neutralization through processing into gypsum.