Lime and Limestone

Abstract

Abstract Lime and limestone are mainstays of the construction industry, in chemical and metallurgical production, and for other industrial and agricultural uses. In the United States limestone production comprises about 75% of total stone output. Lime is produced from high purity limestone. The geological, physical, and chemical properties of lime and limestone are described as well as steps in production and primary uses. Whereas limestone is primarily a construction material used especially in road building, it is also used in the production of pig iron, glass, cement, and lime, as a scrubbing agent for removal of SO 2 from stack gases, as a mineral filler, etc. Lime is primarily a chemical and metallurgical raw material, used in the production of steel, gold and copper, aluminum, calcium carbide, pulp and paper, etc. It is also a leading material in environmental uses, such as SO 2 removal from power plant stack gases, in potable and wastewater treatment, and for hazardous wastes. Lime is also an important construction material, used in masonry mortar, plaster, and stucco, in road building to stabilize highly plastic clays, and in manufacture of calcium silicate building products such as sand–lime brick. Growth is expected in scrubbing stack gases, in the production of precipitated calcium carbonate for use as a filler in fine white paper, and for sterilizing sewage sludge for cropland use.