Material Calculations

Material Calculations

Netherlands Plaster Production Potential

Question:

How much plaster can be made from the 60 million tons of yearly cow manure in the Netherlands?

Plaster Recipe Used:

• 1 part clay
• 3 parts cow manure
• 2.5 parts sand
• Total: 6.5 parts

Calculation:

Cow manure portion: 3 ÷ 6.5 = 0.4615 or ~46.15%

Total tons of plaster possible: 60,000,000 tons ÷ 0.4615 = 130,000,000 tons

Volume conversion: Assuming average plaster density of 1,600 kg/m³: (130,000,000 tons × 1000 kg/ton) ÷ 1600 kg/m³ = 81,250,000 m³

Area Coverage Potential

With 7mm plaster thickness: 81,250,000 m³ ÷ 0.007 m = 11,607,142,857 m²

Summary

With annual cow manure production of 60 million tons in the Netherlands, approximately:

• 130 million tons of plaster could be produced
• 81.25 million cubic meters of plaster volume
• 11.6 billion square meters could be covered at 7mm thickness

This demonstrates the enormous potential for utilizing agricultural waste in construction applications.

Regional Material Availability

The Netherlands has diverse soil types suitable for plaster production:

• Loam - ideal binding properties
• Clay - structural strength
• Sand - texture and workability
• Regional variations allow for locally optimized recipes