Handbook on Gypsum and Gypsum Based Products
(Mining, Processing,Transportation, Handling & Storage, Gypsum Board, Plaster of Paris withMachinery & Equipment Details)
Gypsumis a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dehydrate, with thechemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is widely minedand is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms ofplaster, blackboard/sidewalk chalk, and drywall. A massive fine-grained whiteor lightly tinted variety of gypsum, called alabaster, has been used forsculpture by many cultures including Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Ancient Rome,the Byzantine Empire, and the Nottingham alabasters of Medieval England. Gypsumalso crystallizes as translucent crystals of selenite. It forms as an evaporatemineral and as a hydration product of anhydrite.