Closing the upcoming EU gypsum gap with phosphogypsum

International audience; The EU Renewable Energy Directive with climate and energy goalsdoes not leave room for coal-burning power plants that currentlycontribute approximately 17 million t of flue gas desulfurization (FGD)gypsum to EU manufacturers that require a total of 57 million t ofgypsum per year (EU, 2020). It is also unlikely that natural gypsumproduction in the EU can be significantly increased in the near-term.Unlike other critical raw materials (CRMs) such as rare earth elements(REEs) that constitute a relatively small volume and can be importedover long-distances, such practice is not economically feasible for thisrelatively inexpensive (per weight) bulk-commodity used in largequantities. Transport costs for natural gypsum easily surpass the productvalue, so that imports would measurably increase prices for constructionin the EU and affect millions.