LIME

In 2022, all commercially produced lime in the United States was manufactured from limestone or dolomite, but lime also can be produced from a variety of similar carbonate materials, such as aragonite, chalk, coral, marble and seashells, if they are of high chemical purity. The term lime in this report refers to high-calcium and dolomitic quicklime, their hydroxide (hydrated) forms and dead-burned dolomite. In the United States, most lime (about 80 percent) is produced as quicklime. Hydrated lime (also called slaked lime) is a dry calcium hydroxide powder made from reacting quicklime with a controlled amount of water in a hydrator. Slaked lime is widely used in aqueous systems as a low-cost alkali to neutralize or balance acidity. Dead-burned dolomite is the primary form of lime used in refractories. Production and consumption In 2022, an estimated 17 Mt of quicklime and hydrate were produced (excluding independent commercial hydrators), essentially unchanged from that in 2021. At year end, 28 companies were producing lime, which included 18 companies with commercial sales and 10 companies that produced lime strictly for internal use (for example, sugar companies). These companies had 73 primary lime plants (plants operating quicklime kilns) in 28 states and Puerto Rico. Five of these 28 companies operated only hydrating plants in nine states. In 2022, the five leading U.S. lime companies produced quicklime or hydrate in 22 states and accounted for about 79 percent of total U.S. lime production. Principal producing states were, in alphabetical order, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Texas. The United States was the world’s second-ranked lime producer in the world after China. Apparent consumption at 17 Mt was estimated to be essentially unchanged from that in 2021. Major markets for lime were, in descending order of consumption, steelmaking, chemical and industrial applications (such as the manufacture of fertilizer, glass, paper and pulp, and precipitated calcium carbonate and in sugar refining), flue-gas treatment, construction, water treatment, and nonferrous-metal mining. Foreign trade Imports of lime increased by 10 percent to 354 kt in 2022 from 323 kt in 2021. Canada (79 percent) and Mexico (17 percent) were the leading sources of U.S. lime imports. U.S. lime exports decreased by 9 percent to 303 kt in 2022 from 335 kt in 2021. Lime exports were primarily shipped to Canada (96 percent). Prices The U.S. Geological Survey calculates unit values of lime products from the quantity and value data reported for lime sold or used by the lime producers on a free-on-board plant basis, including the cost of containers. These calculations provide average values that eliminate variables such as potentially significant differences between list prices and individual supply contracts. Lime prices are not published in trade publications. To avoid disclosing company proprietary data, value data for dead-burned dolomite have not been reported separately but are included within the weighted average of all types of lime. The total weighted average price of all quicklime sold or used was $140/t and hydrate sold or used was $160/t in 2022, which was 5 percent higher and unchanged from those in 2021, respectively. Outlook Lime sales in markets such as chemical and industrial, construction and steel are expected to follow the trend in gross domestic product in the overall economy. The outlook for flue-gas systems (lime’s second-ranked market) serving coal-fired power plants, incinerators and other industries is easier to predict. With the recent boom in natural-gas exploration, large increases in natural-gas reserves, and low natural-gas prices, U.S. electric utilities have increasingly shifted their fuel use from coal to natural gas either by conversion of the coal-fired plants or by shutting down coal-fired plants. Natural gas has the advantage of producing lower emissions than coal and, as a result, does not usually require SO2 scrubbing, which could lead to decreased use of lime in flue-gas scrubbing systems. In 2022, 20 percent of domestic utility-scale electricity generation was from coal, a 3 percent decrease from 2021, as a result of increased electricity generation from renewable sources.

LIME

Authored by:
L.E. Apodaca

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To view the past issues of the UCA magazine you must be a member of SME/UCA.

KYANITE, ANDALUSITE AND SILLIMANITE

LITHIUM

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