Lime

Lime process

Limestone, a naturally abundant sedimentary rock, is primarily composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and often contains significant amounts of magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) and other minerals.

This valuable raw material finds applications in various industries like construction, agriculture, and chemical manufacturing.

Lime production starts with extracting limestone from quarries or mines. The extracted rock is then transported via conveyor belts to processing facilities. Here, it’s crushed and ground into a fine powder. This powdered limestone undergoes high-temperature heating inside kilns to produce quicklime (CaO). Quicklime can be further processed into hydrated lime (Ca(OH)2) by adding water to the crushed form. Finally, the hydrated lime is classified to ensure it meets customer specifications before transportation.

Lime application

Lime’s versatility extends beyond construction!

It finds growing applications in environmental management, helping industries comply with regulations for air, water, and waste treatment. However, its most established use remains in steel production, where it removes impurities and facilitates the creation of other metals.

In the realm of construction, lime plays a crucial role in soil stabilization, fortifying the foundations of roads, dams, and buildings. It also enhances asphalt, improving its cohesion, resistance to wear, and longevity. Furthermore, lime is an essential component of mortar and plaster, binding these building materials together.

Beyond these prominent uses, lime’s applications extend to the chemical and industrial sectors. It serves as a raw material in various chemical processes and contributes to the production of precipitated calcium carbonate.

Other application

• Quicklime is widely used in metal smelting industries and in the oxygen-based steel production process.
• Alumina purification to produce pure aluminum metal and calcium silicate
• Annual consumption of millions of tons of slaked lime to produce cement to increase adhesion and strength
• In the food and pharmaceutical industries to prepare jam and produce tablets and some medicines
• Calcium hydroxide in water and wastewater treatment in order to adjust the pH and settle the suspended pollution in the water
• In petrochemical industries, it is combined with phenolphthalein to determine the amount of water in the tanks
• In paper factories for caustic removal and reducing the destructive effect of caustic soda
• Calcium oxide to desulfurize toxic gases from factory chimneys
• Calcium hydroxide in the sugar factory for refining sugar beet