LIME: THE TIME-TESTED CHEMICAL
Lime is one of man's oldest and most vital chemicals. The ancient Romans used lime in building and road construction, uses which continue to the present day. From earliest times, lime has been made by heating limestone (calcium carbonate) to high temperatures. This process, known as calcining, results in quicklime, or calcium oxide. Hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) is produced by reacting quicklime with sufficient water to form a dry, white powder.
While lime is one of the earliest industrial commodities known to man, its production and uses have grown with the times, and it continues to be one of the essential building blocks of modern industry.
LIME: THE MODERN CHEMICAL
Because lime for today's markets must meet exacting chemical and physical specifications, high purity limestone is required, and processing of limestone into lime is tightly controlled to ensure quality products. To learn more about how lime is produced, click HERE.
In addition to high calcium lime types, dolomitic quicklime and hydrated lime, containing magnesium as well as calcium compounds, are also produced.
Recent annual U.S. lime production was approximately 21 million tons--and growing. Lime is produced in 33 states and Puerto Rico, by companies ranging from large multi-facility corporations to small, family-owned operations.
LIME: THE VERSATILE CHEMICAL
Lime is employed by a wide range of industries for a myriad of uses. It is used in many of the products and materials all Americans use every day, including paper, steel, sugar, plastics, paint, and many more. Lime is truly THE versatile chemical for todays market.
Click below to get more information about specific applications of lime:
LIME: THE METALLURGICAL CHEMICAL
LIME: THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL
LIME: THE CONSTRUCTION CHEMICAL
LIME: THE INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL
LIME: THE AFFORDABLE CHEMICAL
Lime is the only material that can perform so many functions at so reasonable a cost. Indeed, lime is substantially less expensive than potential substitutes for virtually all of its applications. In most cases, lime could only be replaced--if at all--by highly expensive synthetic materials.
In addition, lime is convenient to use. Lime is available in bulk or in bags, and can be shipped by rail, truck or barge. The distribution of numerous lime producers across the United States and Canada means that most users can find a nearby source of lime, keeping transportation costs to a minimum.
LIME: THE ESSENTIAL CHEMICAL
The lime industry, although small compared to some other industries, is essential to the U.S. economy. It provides jobs to workers in 33 states, and represents a significant investment in land and equipment. (The equipment required to produce lime is massive, heavy and complex, making the lime industry capital-intensive.) Even more important, because lime is basic to the manufacture of steel and numerous other products, millions of jobs are dependent upon lime's continued availability. Furthermore, without lime, the cost of virtually all consumer goods would increase due to the use of more expensive alternatives to lime.
The lime producers of the United States and Canada, represented by the National Lime Association, are committed to providing a steady supply of this essential chemical to industry, and ultimately, to the public.