Most people do not know that apart from water, calcium carbonate is a naturally occurring substance and is one of the most used raw materials. Chemical compounds like it have for a long time served different sectors ranging from industrial to agriculture, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, and metal.
Let’s dive into the business growth aspect of such a compound and how it affects lives.
Business Application Of Calcium Carbonate
You might not be familiar with the words calcium carbonate. However, you must have seen it or even used it before. You have probably seen it in its natural forms like marble, limestone, or blackboard chalk.
Also, you might wonder what is calcium carbonate used for? Calcium is not just used for creating beautiful countertops or as a writing tool. It has several business applications that are tied to our life and these applications fall under several industries.
Let’s find out what some of these industries are.
1. Pharmaceuticals, food and health industry
One of the business applications of calcium carbonate is in the pharmaceutical and best industry. Calcium carbonate is used widely as an antacid (calcium supplement) since it contains calcium, a base material for medicine tablets or pills, and is also effective for dietary calcium supplements.
Additionally, calcium carbonate products can be seen on the shelves of grocery stores in products like wines, doughs, dry-mix dessert mixes, toothpaste, and baking powders. Concerning food production, calcium carbonate is used in several instances since it is also used in the production process of food.
2. Agricultural sector
Calcium carbonate is a vital part of the agricultural sector. It is essential for mineral development and the healthy growth of domestic animals and livestock. It is essential to convert nutrients, retain metabolic processes, and regulate cell activity. Therefore, it is a critical mineral that animals need to develop, grow and produce.
A major function of calcium is animal bone growth, teeth formation, blood clotting, healthy digestion, hardening of shells, and smooth muscle contraction like the rumen. So an imbalance or deficiency in calcium can lead to poor growth rates, reduced milk output, fever, displaced abomasums, and poor bone development.
It also causes urinary calculi (castrated or intact) in male animals. Another agricultural use is in a garden lime application which acts as a significant calcium source for plants while also increasing the capacity of acidic soils to retain water and its pH levels.
Calcium carbonate is also beneficial for crops since it increases plant nutrient consumption, such as potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen, in acidic soils. These applications in the agricultural sector increase the industry demand for calcium, thus more business opportunities.
3. Cosmetics and beauty
Calcium Carbonate has extensive usage in the cosmetic industry. It is widely used in several cosmetic applications, such as cosmetics, powders, lotions, creams, and toothpaste. For makeup, it is used as prolongers, extenders, and pigment.
It is also used as an oil absorber and whitener. Calcium can absorb moisture, so it is usually added to ingredients used in radiating face powder. This increases makeup’s ability to absorb moisture and is an excellent absorber found in finishing powders, primers, and foundations.
4. Metals
Calcium carbonate is also extensively used in assisting in the manufacturing of aluminum and alumina hydrate. It is also used to purify iron from iron in blast furnaces. Unfortunately, calcium carbonate is calcined in the tissue’s original place, thus forming a slag with its impurities after being separated from purified iron.
Calcium carbonate is needed with the extensive need for metal in the world. Thus its industry is one some entrepreneurs are looking into.
5. Building materials and constructions
Calcium carbonate is essential to the construction industry in its own right, such as marble, an ingredient for cement, and as a building material. Also, it is used in making concrete blocks, bonding bricks, tiles, rubber compounds, roofing shingles, and stones. These processes cut across several construction industries.
When calcium carbonate decomposes, it formalizes carbon dioxide, which is essential in the oxidation of paper, glass, and steel. Additionally, its antacid properties ensure its usage in industrial settings for neutralizing acidic conditions both in water and soil.
6. Automotive industry
Precipitated calcium carbonate is used in several coated variations as rheology modifiers in various sealants, particularly in the formulations of PVC plastisols, which are extensively used in the automotive industry. In addition, its usage simplifies new formulation designs due to just low viscosity, high yield value, and easy dispersion.
