ENERGY &
ENVIRONMENTAL
Blue Mountain Minerals Limestone products help the Earth.
Biomass Energy Production
Biomass has become a significant alternative to traditional fossil fuels for producing energy in the form of electricity and steam. Abundant supplies of biologically derived materials like plants, trees and grasses can become viable renewable fuel sources from agricultural and urban by products and waste. Although these fuel sources typically contain lower levels of sulfur than traditional fossil fuels they still require SO2 emissions (flue gas desulfurization) control. Additionally, wood based biomass fuel can
often introduce sand into the fluidized bed of the incinerator. Limestone, added with the wood fuel, can be used to mitigate clinker build up caused by the introduction of this sand (silica). Clinker build up in this area of the process can adversely impact air flow and combustion.
Drilling Mud
High purity calcium carbonate products are used as bridging and weighting
agents, imparting density to the water, to control formation pressures, prevent caving, and facilitate the pulling of dry pipe. They are of ten used instead of barytes as calcium carbonates are acid-soluble and easily dissolved in cleaning up production zones.
Reclamation and Remediation
Limestone is a cost effective and environmentally safe method to control acid and heavy metal pollution. It is used in neutralizing acidic wastes and sludge, like acid mine drainage and contaminated soils. Heavy metals such as iron and aluminum can be precipitated and removed through pH adjustment.
Simple low cost processes can be designed for use with limestone for these applications.
Environmental
Calcium Carbonate is a mildly alkaline product that aids in a variety of environmental applications. It is most commonly used as a reagent in flue gas desulfurization (FGD), reducing acidity in lakes and to neutralize acidic water. FGD uses calcium carbonate as the sorbent, with calcium from the calcium carbonate reacting with sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the emission gases to form calcium sulfite (CaSO3) and water. Calcium sulfite can be further oxidized to form calcium sulfate (CaSO4) or gypsum that is marketable in other building applications.
Erosion Control
Limestone and Dolomite aggregate can be sized to create excellent barriers for erosion control in various applications such as roadways and landscapes. Clean, narrow particle distribution aggregate also provides excellent drainage allowing controllable water infiltration.
Other
Limestone is utilized in a number of other related Energy and Environmental applications. Examples include fabricated fireplace logs and charcoal briquettes where calcium carbonate can provide aesthetically pleasing ash color and aid in burn rate. Calcium carbonate is used in the flux coating of
certain types of basic electrode welding rods. The calcium carbonate decomposes with sufficient heat creating a protective gas shield for the weld. Limestone or calcium carbonate can also be used to enhance fire resistance in products like concrete and flooring.
