Processing of Ogbolokuta limestone through calcination technique for quicklime production

Abstract

Report on processing of Ogbolokuta limestone through calcination technique for quicklime production is presented. The limestone was washed to remove impurities, dried, ground in to powder form and classified with the aid of the automatic vibrating sieves of 80mm, 90mm, 100mm, 300mm and 425mm. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy was used to determine the chemical compositions of the limestone, while its mineralogical composition was determined by X-ray diffractometer. Scanning electron microscope was used to study the surface morphology of the sample. Sample size area was grossly estimated by Langmuir method, while density functional theory was used to obtain different pore structural morphology of the sample. Analyses of the results showed that CaO (65.7%) is the predominant chemical constituent, and calcite is the main mineral of the limestone. Quicklime was successfully produced from Ogbolokuta limestone through calcination process. Calcination of the limestone enhanced its surface morphology. The quicklime yield was temperature, particle size and time dependent.