Limestone is a rock made of calcite and most of it is grey. All colors of limestone from white to black have been found. Scientists test natural rock to see if it is limestone by pouring cold diluted hydrochloric or sulfuric acid (10% solution or vinegar) on it. It gives off bubbles of carbon dioxide. Limestone is used as Industrial Raw Materials with other industrial raw material products such as Silica Flour, Aggregate, Quicklime, Talc, Volcanic Rock, Abrasives, and Calcium Carbonate. The limestone and CaCO3 are the same material, but, we use them in different ways. The first is used as aggregate in the construction industry or as a ‘flux’ (used for removing chemical impurities) in the iron and steel industry, while the second is used in the chemical and manufacturing industries. Limestone has numerous uses: as a building material, an essential component of concrete (Portland cement), as aggregate for the base of roads, as white pigment or filler in products such as toothpaste or paints, as a chemical feedstock for the production of lime, as a soil conditioner, or as a popular decorative addition to rock gardens.
Uses of limestone:
- Acid rain – the neutralization of acid lake waters
- Agriculture – soil stabilization and pH control
- Air quality – neutralizes sulfur dioxide gases from industrial processes such as smelting metal ores and coal fired generating stations
- Aluminum
- Aggregate for concrete and road building
- Artificial waterfalls
- Building construction – bricks, mortar, plasters
- Candles
- Cement
- Ceramics
- Concrete
- Cosmetics
- Cotton – bleach
- Glass
- Glue
- Gelatin
- Landscaping
- Neutralizing acid mine drainage
- Oil – purification of oils and gasoline
- Ore extraction
- Paint
- Paper production
- Pesticides
- Plastics
- Poultry grit – shell-forming material
- Roadbeds
- Rubber
- Soap
- Soda Pop – makes the bubbles in pop
- Smelting Iron Ore
- Steel making
- Sugar, purification of sugar beets.
- Tanning of leather
- Tomb Stones
- Toothpaste
- Wastewater treatment – removes phosphorous and nitrogen,
- Odor control, kills bacteria and aids in clarification
- Water Treatment – drinking water clarification.
