Calcium carbonate, a ubiquitous mineral holds a pivotal role in numerous industrial applications and everyday products. Known for its non-toxicity and odorless, this white mineral is abundantly found in natural sources.

In this comprehensive exploration, TLD Vietnam will show you the significance of calcium carbonate, highlighting its essential role in shaping modern industry practices and sustainable solutions.

What Is Calcium Carbonate?

Calcium carbonate is an inorganic compound with the formula CaCO3. Known for being non-toxic and odorless, this white mineral is abundantly found in nature in materials like limestone, chalk, marble, and pearls.

Types Of Calcium Carbonate 

Calcium carbonate exists in three polymorphic forms: calcite, aragonite, and vaterite.

Calcite

It is a common constituent of sedimentary rocks like limestone and marble. This mineral is widely used in construction materials, agricultural soil treatment, pharmaceuticals, and various other applications.

Aragonite

It is less stable and more soluble than calcite. It forms through biological and physical processes, including precipitation from both marine and freshwater environments.

Vaterite

Vaterite, which has a hexagonal shape, is less stable and more soluble than both calcite and aragonite. It naturally occurs in springs, organic tissues, urinary stones, gallstones, and plants. Vaterite is utilized in regenerative medicine and various personal care products.

Properties Of Calcium Carbonate

Calcium carbonate has several notable properties, including:

• Chemical composition: Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3.
• Appearance: Calcium carbonate appears as a white, odorless, tasteless powder.
• Solubility: Calcium carbonate is insoluble in water but dissolves poorly.
• Reactivity: Calcium carbonate is a basic compound and reacts with acids to neutralize them.
• Decomposition: When heated, calcium carbonate breaks down, releasing carbon dioxide and calcium oxide (calcination of calcium carbonate and thermal breakdown of calcium carbonate are both conceivable at temperatures above 800°C)
• Neutralization: Calcium carbonate is commonly used as a neutralizing agent in agriculture, manufacturing, and medicine. It is added to soil to neutralize soil acidity, improving the growth of plants. In medicine, calcium carbonate is used as an antacid to treat indigestion, acid reflux, and heartburn.
• Reactivity: Calcium carbonate reacts with acids to neutralize them, making it a useful component in various chemical processes. It is also used in the production of lime, which is used as a reagent in environmental and chemical processes.

Types Of Commercial Manufacturing Processes For Calcium Carbonate

There are two types of commercial manufacturing for calcium carbonate,  both categorized based on particle size and product characteristics. 

Ground Calcium Carbonate: It is produced by extracting and processing of naturally occurring deposits. Ground Calcium carbonate crystals have an irregularly rhombohedral shape and a broader size distribution.

Precipitated Calcium Carbonate: It is produced through chemical precipitation, by either a carbonation process or a by-product of bulk chemical processes. The structure of Precipitated Calcium Carbonate  crystals depends on the product, with particles being more regular and uniform, having a narrow size distribution. This has smaller particles of greater purity is less abrasive.

Applications Of Calcium Carbonate

Calcium carbonate is one of the most versatile and widely used minerals in various industries. As a natural compound found in rocks, it is an essential ingredient. The unique properties, such as high purity, whiteness, and low abrasiveness, make it an ideal choice for a broad range of applications. In the following section, we will delve into the diverse uses of calcium carbonate, exploring how this remarkable mineral contributes to numerous industries, driving innovation and efficiency across the board.

Building Materials and Construction 

Calcium carbonate is essential to the construction industry, serving as both a building material and an ingredient in cement. It is used in making mortar for bonding bricks, concrete blocks, stones, roofing shingles, rubber compounds, and tiles. When decomposed, calcium carbonate forms carbon dioxide and lime, which are crucial in the production of steel, glass, and paper. Due to its antacid properties, calcium carbonate is employed in industrial settings to neutralize acidic conditions in soil and water.

Paper, Paints, and Coatings 

Calcium carbonate is extensively utilized in the paper, plastics, paints, and coatings industries, both as a filler and a coating pigment due to its distinctive white color. In the paper industry, it is highly valued for its brightness and light-scattering properties, making it a cost-effective filler for producing bright, opaque paper.

Used at the wet-end of papermaking machines, calcium carbonate filler helps create bright and smooth paper. In paints, calcium carbonate can constitute up to 30% of the weight as an extender. It is also widely used as a filler in adhesives and sealants.

Rubber Industry

Calcium carbonate already has a long history of use in plastic and rubber. It can improve the heat resistance, size stability, and hardness of the base material. Adding large amounts of calcium carbonate to rubber can increase the product’s volume, which conserves the use of expensive natural rubber and thereby cuts costs. The addition of calcium carbonate to rubber increases tensile strength, abrasion resistance, and tear resistance.

Calcium carbonate also has a significant reinforcing effect in both natural and synthetic rubber, and can improve consistency. Calcium carbonate is used in such auto parts, and also in such large products as tires, tape, and rubber hoses. Not only is calcium carbonate used as a reinforcing filler, when needed, it may also be used together with such other fillers as carbon black, white carbon black, clay, and titanium white to achieve reinforcing, filling, coloring, improving workability, enhancing product performance.

Plastics Industry

Calcium carbonate forms a kind of internal frame structure in plastic products, and greatly improves the dimensional stability of plastic products. It can improve the product hardness, electrical efficiency, flame retardant performance, heat resistance and treatment performance.

Calcium carbonate also helps to improve the gloss and evenness of the product surface. Adding calcium carbonate can increase the heat resistance of conventional plastic products. And since it has a whiteness exceeding 90%, calcium carbonate can be used as a whitening agent in place of expensive white pigments.

Calcium carbonate also enhances the gloss, uniformity of product surface and can elevate the heat resistance of standard plastic items. 

Personal Health and Food Production

Calcium carbonate is used widely as an effective dietary calcium supplement, antacid, phosphate binder, or base material for medicinal tablets. It also is found on many grocery store shelves in products such as baking powder, toothpaste, dry-mix dessert mixes, dough, and wine. Calcium carbonate can also benefits the environment through water and waste treatment.

Conclusion

Calcium carbonate stands as a versatile and indispensable mineral with a myriad of applications across diverse industries. As we continue to innovate and utilize calcium carbonate in new applications, its versatility and reliability continue to make it a cornerstone of modern industrial processes and everyday products worldwide.

TLD Vietnam – Leading Manufacturer And Supplier Of Calcium Carbonate

TLD Vietnam, established in 2016, has since become a leading company in manufacturing and supplying Calcium Carbonate in Vietnam. Possessing extensive limestone reserves with high CaCO3 content, TLD Vietnam boasts a robust monthly capacity of 30,000 MT, ensuring a steady supply of high-quality products, meeting all requirements of customers. 

Our quality control continuously follows international standards such as ISO, Reach, and FDA, ensuring consistency and excellence in every batch we deliver. TLD Vietnam also implements stringent quality control. Right from the mining stage, limestones are classified to match the specific requirements of customers, catering to specific industries such as paint, plastic, paper industry, etc. 

We are striving to contribute to the success of the industry and become one of the most prestigious manufacturers and suppliers of Calcium Carbonate across the globe. Contact us for best quotation!