FGD gypsum, heat insulation system, heat transfer coefficient, foaming agent, energy efficiency

Thermal insulation gypsum plaster was prepared from flue gas desulphurization (FGD) gypsum. K12 is more recommendable as foaming agent, when the mass fraction of K12 is around 0.1 %, the setting time and compressive strength meet the requirements of gypsum-based construction materials. In the meanwhile, the thermal conductivity is 0.18 W m−1 K−1, which can be used as a thermal insulation material. The hemihydrate mixtures obtained, allow the design of a new wall structure, which is more efficient as a thermal insulation system. The wall heat transfer coefficient test was carried out to compare thermal performance of two different thermal insulation systems. Compared with the thermal performance of a conventional system, the heat transfer coefficient of the new system was reduced by 5.6 %. Finally, energy-saving analysis of a building was carried out to compare the energy-saving effect of the conventional and new systems of building. The energy-savings of the building with the new system increased by almost 2 %, thus resulting in low energy consumption of the building.