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Discovering calcium hydroxide and its varied applications
Hydrated lime, also known as calcium hydroxide, is a versatile product with interesting properties that brings great benefits for industry, construction and the environment because it can be applied in several formats.
Production and traditional application
Products based on calcium hydroxide have a surprisingly wide variety of applications. The fact is that slaked lime has been used since time immemorial and with amazing results, such as in the stabilization of floors (it was used in the construction of the Great Wall of China), building (it was used, no more and no less, to construct the Pyramid of Keops) and in agriculture (the Celts used calcium hydroxide to fertilize fields, because much of their land had a poor or non-existent limestone content).
But what is more, nowadays calcium hydroxide has become very common and absolutely essential in many sectors, at the same time it sets the standards for global socio-economic development.
In the most unexpected places
It is also an additive in feeds improving animal nutrition, and is used in animal-pens for its disinfecting power, lowering the number of pathogens and virus.
In the sugar-industry it can be used to precipitate out impurities and to obtain purified sucrose.
It also brings benefits in sludge treatment as it is an exceptional aid in the elimination of micro-organisms and bacteria which at the same time neutralizes bad smells.
Its properties are especially useful for water treatment, because it acts as a clarifier, a coagulant, a neutralizer and for the precipitation of dissolved pollutants.
A beneficial product with a technological touch
In all these fields calcium hydroxide has added a dose of extra technology, greater safety and a better performance when compared to its competitors. For example, in the field of water treatment calcium hydroxide is cheaper than sodium hydroxide, its price fluctuates less and its neutralizing potential is greater. Compared to sodium bicarbonate used in gas treatments, calcium hydroxide does not require micronizing before injection, as it comes as a fine highly-reactive dust perfectly ready for use.
Its characteristics do not only bring advantages when compared to other chemical products because it also gives a technological touch to this product, which above all, has outstanding uses in environmental applications.
Calcium hydroxide or slaked lime and the specific products derived from it are of great benefit, it is reliable and especially effective for applications such as accelerating the kinetics of reactions, increasing the efficiency of absorption and guaranteeing a high degree of capture of gaseous pollutants. Moreover, a correct combination of the above-mentioned parameters of calcium hydroxide means that highly reactive products can be offered. Therefore, among the beneficial effects that the use of calcium hydroxide brings is that of pH regulation, as well as in encapsulating metals and disinfecting, without forgetting that it also reacts with silica, creating pozzolana structures.
Tailor made hydroxides
There are several critical properties to bear in mind when selecting this product. Among these there is the specific surface, which translates into a higher adsorption efficiency – the useful calcium oxide, which implies a greater reactivity for the capture of gaseous pollutants – and its fineness, which makes reactions faster.
To these potentialities, more than proven day after day, there are many others, some new, arising from the way that calcium hydroxide is used – either as a dry fine powder or in the form of whitewash. The use of one or other of these formats depends on the final application and the objective desired after use.
- NATURDEP S®, designed for uses in the environmental sector, specifically for the treatment of and decontamination of gases
- AGROCAL S, for the professional agrarian sector.
We at Calcinor help to create the bond between the client`s needs and the application of the product, and so we are delighted to receive inquiries related to any of our products.