Formula proposes a range of gypsum and plaster products for use in a variety of technical applications, each with specific requirements.
Food
Formula proposes natural, high purity gypsum (Calcium Sulphate Dihydrate) products for use in the food industry, either as a food additive or as a food processing aid, in accordance with EU regulations. Quality control measures, procedures and systems are in place to maintain the required food hygiene standards in this application.
- Food Additive Calcium Sulphate (E516) A food additive is a substance not normally consumed as a food itself and not normally used as a characteristic ingredient of food, whether or not it has nutritive value, the intentional addition of which to food for a technological purpose in the manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packaging, transport or storage of such food results in it becoming a component of such foods.
Formula manufactures products in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of 16th December 2008 on food additives and the specific purity criteria required for food additives in the category ‘other than colours or sweeteners’. - Food Processing Aid Calcium Sulphate Processing aids are substances not consumed as food itself but used intentionally in the processing of foods, which only remain as residues in the final food and do not have a technological effect in the final product.
Paper
Gypsum is used in the paper industry, as a filler or pigment for paper coating. Normally a very fine grade of white gypsum is required in this application.Gypsum should be free from abrasive materials to ensure a smooth surface coating aspect.
Oil & Coal
Plaster based products are used in mining applications due to their non-combustibility and non-toxicity.
- Fire or explosion stoppings Stoppings are used to seal off areas of a mine when fires or explosions have occurred underground, or where there is a danger of fire or explosion of toxic gases. Two walls of fire retardant material are built, and a slurry is pumped in to fill the space and completely seal off the area. This method can produce an easy to install stopping, which is explosion-proof within one hour of completion.
- Cavity filling and sealing Plaster-based products are used to fill and seal cavities quickly and less labour-intensively than traditional methods.Fire-retardant slabs are fixed between conventional steel arches to form permanent shuttering. The slurry is then pumped behind the slabs to give an effective and permanent seal.
Where natural faults occur in the strata, massive cavities can be formed in the roof of the tunnels as the drilling machines cut through. Foamed plaster products are used, to form a light weight, high volume, strong aerated, cavity filler. - Oil well drilling muds Oil well drilling muds are used to lubricate the drilling head and carry away debris. The drilling fluid is pumped down the inner core of the well to lubricate the drill bit. As the fluid is pumped up the outer core to the surface, it carries away debris, allowing drilling to continue. Gypsum is used as an additive in the formulation of oil well drilling muds that are used for exploration purposes.
- Composites, resins, rubber, PVC Gypsum is used as a filler in a variety of substances, to add bulk, increase rigidity or provide reinforcement, or to give a particular shape and aspect to the finished product. Adding gypsum can also increase the strength of the bond between mineral and plastic, increase resistance to abrasion, and improve dispersibility.