Limestone as an

Industrial Mineral

Kwaku Boakye
Mineral Engineering Department and Bureau of Geology
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
February 9, 2007
Ou tlin e

 Introduction
 Geologic description
 Distribution
 Production
 Processing
 Marketing
 Uses
Introductio n

 Limestone and dolomite constitute a group of

raw material commonly referred to as
carbonate rock

 In 2002, ~1.6 billion tons were produced in the

United States (Freas et al, 2006).

 71% of all stone quarried mined in the United

State is carbonate rock
Ge ologic d escriptio n
 Origin of limestone
Limestones of economic importance are biologically
derived from seawater and originally deposited in
relatively shallow marine environments

Environment of deposition and the organic community

largely determine the geometry of a carbonate deposit

Environment of deposition is significant to the industrial

minerals geologist because it determines the size,
shape, and purity of the deposit

High-energy zones produce relatively pure limestones

because clay impurities are removed by high currents
 Mineralogy

Limestone are sedimentary rocks

Chemical Composition of CaCO3

Similar in chemical composition as aragonite but

different crystal structure

Aragonite is metastable and alters to

calcite in time

Siderite (FeCO3), Ankerite (Ca2MgFe(CO3)4) and

Magnesite (MgCO3) are commonly found
associated with limestone’s and dolomites
http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow1/oct98/expert/limestone.htm
 Limestone

Sandstone

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Limestoneshale7342.jpg
 Chemical Properties

Chemical and Physical attributes are independent

properties

Pure calcite in the form of poorly cemented chalk is not

only unique in its low strength but also high absorption

Pure calcitic marble of the same chemical composition as

chalk is relatively strong, unabsorptive, and unreactive

Chemical analysis is of upmost importance in stone used

for chemical purpose, such as glass raw material, flux,
or cement
Chemical properties are not so relevant for aggregates
products

Chemical analysis are made to determine impurities

Impurities related with lime stone includes clay minerals,

resistance minerals such as quartz, and organic
material.

Most test are performed in accredited Laboratories

Many state surveys have files of chemical data obtained

from quarry sampling and coring programs
 Terminology used describe the purity of
carbonates

High-calcium greater than 95% CaCO3

limestone:

High-magnesium greater than 42% MgCO3

dolomite:

High-purity greater than 95% combined CaCO3

carbonate: and MgCO3

http://books.smenet.org/Surf_Min_2ndEd/sm-ch02-sc10-ss11-tbl001.cfm
 Physical Properties

Carbonates are similar in physical properties

making it difficult to distinguish

Specific gravity, color, crystal form, hardness, etc

are some of the physical properties

This properties are tested using testing procedures

in ASTM and AASHO
Physical Properties of Calcite, Dolomite, and Aragonite.
Chemical
Mineral Composition Physical Properties
Calcite CaCO3 Hexagonal crystal system, commonly good
rhombohedral cleavage. Mohs’ hardness, 3.
Specific gravity, 2.72. Commonly colorless or
white but may be other colors because of
impurities.

Dolomite CaMg(CO3)2 Hexagonal crystal system, commonly good

rhombohedral crystals with curved faces.
Mohs’ hardness, 3.5 to 4. Specific gravity,
2.87, but common impurities such as iron
can raise it to 2.95 or higher. Commonly
white or pink.
Aragonite CaCO3 Orthorhombic crystal system. Mohs’ hardness,
3.5 to 4. Specific gravity, 2.93B2.95.
Commonly colorless, white, or yellow but
may be other colors because of impurities.

http://books.smenet.org/Surf_Min_2ndEd/sm-ch02-sc10-ss11-tbl001.cfm
 Limestone pot hole

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limestone#Limestone_landscape
Di str ibution
Carbonate rocks are deposited from Precambrian to
Holocene time (Parker, 1967)

Carbonate rock compose only about 0.25% of the volume of

the earth crust (Parker, 1967)

Carbonate comprise of 15% of the worlds sedimentary rocks

Each carbonate deposit differ in their geologic characteristics

Highly-purity carbonate rock deposits are not overly

abundant

Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire and Rhode

Island and all of Canadian Province are in abundance of
pure limestone
Pr oductio n
 Exploration
Coring
Rock Bitting
Surface Sampling

 Mining
Open Pit
Underground
Pr ocessing
 Processing varies with the end use of the product
and targeted consuming industries

 Site for processing depends on

Type of Mine
Haulage Distance
Surface Topography

 Processing involves
Sawing
Crushing
Screening
Ma rketing
 Marking is influence by specification requirements

 Specification differ from companies to companies

even though they may produce the same product

 Market price depends on the supplier ability to

price the product on its value to customer but not
the base on cost of production

 Adding value involves strong commitment to

research, development and corporate support
from start of mining and followed by technical
support
Uses
 the manufacture of quicklime (calcium oxide) and
slaked lime (calcium hydroxide)
 cement and mortar
 pulverized limestone is used as a soil conditioner
to neutralize acid soil conditions
 crushed for use as aggregate - the solid base for
many roads
 geological formations of limestone are among the
best petroleum reservoirs
 as a reagent in desulfurizations
 glass making
 toothpaste
Concl usi on
 Limestone and dolomite have been and continue to be one of the
most important raw materials in the United States and the world

 Limestone is a carbonate and sedimentary rock

 Limestone of economic importance are biologically

derived form seawater and accumulated in relatively
shallow marine environment.

 Market price depends on the supplier ability to price the product

on its value to customer but not the base on cost of production

 Demand of limestone and dolomite is expected to grow

at an average annual rate of about 2.0% to 2.5%

 In 2002, about 1.6 billion tone were produced in the United States
(Freas et al, 200).
Ref erence
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Limestoneshale7
February 8th 2007
 file:///I:/SME--ONLINE%20DIGITAL%20LIBRARY%
February 8th 2007
 http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow1/oct98/expert/limes
February 8th 2007
 Kogel, E. J., Trivedi, C. N., Barker, M. J., and
Krukowski, T. S., 2006, Industrial Minerals and
Rock: Society for Mining, Metallurgy and
Exploration, v.1, p. 581-597, ISBN: 0-87335-
233-5/978-0-87335-233-8