What is gypsum? Detailed answer

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What is gypsum? Detailed answer

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What is gypsum?

The use of gypsum by people is growing at such a rate that in recent years its production in the world has doubled. Due to the fact that gypsum perfectly resists fire and water, besides, it poorly transmits cold and heat, it is used in large quantities in construction for wall cladding. By the way, gypsum blocks and bricks can be sawn and nailed like wooden planks.

A mixture of gypsum with a small amount of cement and some other components forms a lightweight building material called stucco. It is widely used in the construction of modern buildings. What is gypsum? Gypsum is a mineral that is calcium sulfate mixed with water.

There is a translucent variety of gypsum called selenite, and another of a special luster known as alabaster. Gypsum is extracted from thick layers that lie underground at various depths: some near the surface, others much deeper. In the US state of Texas, layers of gypsum more than 100 meters thick were found, covering an area of hundreds of square kilometers. Gypsum has been used as a building material and for plastering walls and ceilings since ancient Egypt.

Used alone or mixed with sand or lime, gypsum is transformed into moldings, wall tiles or finishing plaster. It can be used to make bricks or even whole blocks for walls. Gypsum is used to create scenery for films and performances; sculptors, surgeons and dentists use it in their work. Gypsum is a cheap raw material, and its reserves are found almost everywhere in the world.

Author: Likum A.

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The Danger of Dirty Windows 04.11.2022

Scientists from the University of Birmingham called for washing dirty windows. They argue that windows can contain toxic contaminants and hide potentially harmful contaminants behind a film of fatty acids from food preparations that can be stored for long periods of time.

Fatty acids present in cooking emissions are very stable and difficult to break down in the atmosphere. And when they hit a hard surface like a window, they create a thin, self-organizing and slowly accumulating film, and can only be gradually broken down by other chemicals in the atmosphere.

Thus, the film will become rougher and draw out more water due to air humidity. In addition, harmful contaminants can enter the resilient crust, where they are then protected from degradation in the atmosphere.

The fatty acids in these films are not particularly harmful on their own, but because they are not broken down, they effectively protect any other contaminants that might be trapped underneath.

During the study, the team worked on lab proxy material samples designed in the lab to get closer to real world samples. They were twisted into ultrathin films of pollution only a few tens of nanometers thick.

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