By Katherine Industries can extract three types of Calcium Carbonate-containing rocks and use them. These are limestone, chalk, and dolomite. Both chalk and limestone are forms of calcium carbonate, while dolomite is a combination of calcium and magnesium carbonates. Although all rocks contain impurities like clay, some rocks are more than 97% pure. Limestone and other products made from it are widely used in construction and in neutralizing acidic compounds in many contexts.
To form calcium oxide in the chemical industry, huge quantities of limestone are heated to ca 1500 K. This is called quicklime.
Calcium hydroxide can be made by adding water to lime. This process is called ‘slaking. The solid calcium hydroxide, also known as hydrated lime or slaked lime, is also known as solid calcium hydroxide. It can also be used in solutions and suspensions in water to make milk of lime.
Lime is used often to refer to quicklime, slaked , and milk of lime.
The appropriate choice of four options is made for a specific use: quicklime limestone, milk of lime, slaked lime, or slaked lime. Lime reacts faster than limestone, but it is also more expensive because lime is made from limestone at a higher temperature.
Limestone and lime are used in various ways
Lime and limestone are used primarily in cement production and construction. They can also be used in the chemical, metallurgical and agricultural industries.
The following are the global lime proportions used in different industries:
25% construction
15% is used for industrial and chemical purposes (e.g. to make bleaches in paper manufacturing, to make precipitated calcium carbonate, a fine powder that can be used in coatings of paper for paints and in refining sugar to remove colloidal impurities), and for environmental use, to treat sewage to remove colloidal particles, and in flue gas desulfurization
These proportions can vary from one country to the next.
38% Metallurgies
22% Chemical and Industrial Uses
8% construction utilizes
Other than 1%
Construction industry
This includes large-scale bridges, skyscrapers and houses, as well as road building. The construction industry is the biggest user of limestone and various forms of lime.
Lime is used often to make soil more firm. It reacts with clay minerals to create cement-like compounds.
By strengthening the soil, buildings can be built by providing a stronger foundation. To allow large vehicles to move easily, lime is used on construction sites.
Concrete and cement are also made up mainly of limestone.
In cement making
This is an iron pipe that is approximately 60-90m long and 6m in diameter. The flame inside the pipe heats the pipe to approximately 1700 K. To allow the materials to reach the other end slowly, the kiln tilts slightly. Mixing limestone with substances like clays to make cement is the first step.
The heated air from the coolers goes back to the kilns. This saves fuel and improves burning efficiency.
To make the grey fine powder, the clinker is ground into a fine powder and then mixed with calcium sulfur ate (gypsum).
The solid that results is called clinker, and it comes out of the kiln in grey balls about the same size as marbles. Calcium sulfate’s role is to stop cement from setting too quickly. It is basically a mixture calcium silicate with calcium sulfate. It hydrates slowly and gives cement an extra strength after a few days.
In industry or the environment
A lot of lakes are too acidic due to aerial pollution (acid rainfall). The lakes are sprayed using very finely ground calcium carbonate. This can be done in a number of ways.