Sugar Industry
Lime is used in sugar production when purifying the juice from beet or cane. Sugar beet is sliced up and passed through a diffusor to extract the sugar juice. Lime, produced from high calcium limestone, is used in the production process for this essential operation.
Paper Industry
The caustic properties of hydrated lime are used in the sulphate process during the manufacture of paper and pulp. About 250 kg of quicklime per tonne of pulp are required for causticisation.
Aerated Concrete Blocks
Aerated Concrete (AAC) material was developed in 1924 in Sweden. It has become one of the most used building materials in Europe and is rapidly growing in many other countries around the world. AAC is produced from the common materials lime, sand, cement and water, and a small amount of rising agent.
Calcium Silicate Bricks
They are made by mixing quicklime or hydrated lime with silica sand. The bricks are pressed into shape and then heated in an autoclave, which promotes reactions between calcium and silicates in the sand and gives extra strength..
Asphalt
Hydrated lime can be used as an additive to hot mix asphalt, increasing the resistance of the asphalt to water stripping. Lime also acts as a mineral filler and as an antioxidant.
Many asphalt-aggregates mixtures suffer a loss of bond between the binder and aggregate in the presence of water. This results in a loss of strength, causing the mixture to fail prematurely. Therefore anti-stripping agents are used like LIME.
Plastic Industry
Quicklime reacts with any free water present to form hydrated lime. This removes water from the system and can be useful when dealing with products that are heated during the manufacturing process, such as plastic. When making plastic, if any potential water is not removed then steam bubbles may occur in the finished product, which can affect its strength and appearance. Quicklime is therefore often used in PVC and rubber manufacturing processes.
Construction
In the drying, improvement and stabilisation of soils. As a component of mortars, exterior rendering and interior plasters. As an anti-stripping agent in the production of asphalt and tarmac for road construction As a binder in the productions of a range of autoclaved calcium silicate products (including bricks, aircrete, fire resistant board and concrete).
Fruit Farming
As apples and other fruit ripen, they emit carbon dioxide. When in storage, the carbon dioxide lowers the level of oxygen in the atmosphere and accelerates the rate of deterioration of the fruit. By circulating air around the fruit and over hydrated lime, the level of carbon dioxide is reduced and the fruit remains fresh and useable for longer. Lime can also be used to neutralise waste citric acid and to raise the pH of fruit juices to stabilise the flavour and colour.
Fish Farming
Always choose agricultural limestone (CaCO3) for application in your fishpond. You can also use Hydrated lime (Ca (OH)2) which is an inexpensive and effective pond sterilizer. However, it is known to raise the pH quickly and dramatically above tolerable levels for most aquatic organisms.
Agriculture
Calcium Carbonate, quicklime and hydrated lime can all be used to adjust the pH of soils to give optimum growing conditions and hence improve crop yields. The use of quicklime, hydrated lime and/or blends of these with calcium carbonate and magnesium Limestone will help to speed pH adjustment which can help to treat conditions.
