2. Air lime production

2.1 General

The industrial manufacture of air lime involves transforming a natural material (calcium carbonate or mixed calcium and magnesium carbonate) into a product with multiple uses and, consequently, different technical specifications for each use.

Calcium carbonate (limestone) and mixed calcium and magnesium carbonate (magnesian limestone and dolomite, sometimes called "raw dolomite") are the starting point for the manufacture of air lime. In some languages, limestone is even referred to as "limestone": "limestone" in English, "kalkstein" in German.

Calcium carbonate is widely present in the earth's crust, with an average content of 3.5 to 4.0% (2.0% for mixed carbonate).

The main manufacturing stages are...