Background

Limestone has historically been used as a major material in the construction of buildings and monuments, as well as the production of glass. More modern used of limestone include as a raw material in the production of quicklime, cement and mortar, as well as a basic aggregate in road construction. Limestone is also used as a scrubber stone in the desulfurization of flue gas and is used as a reagent in blast furnaces to extract iron from ore. Purified, limestone has many uses as a calcium supplement in foods and animal feeds, and well as a whitener in cosmetics. The high calcium content of limestone is also an ideal ingredient in remineralization and can be used in water, toothpaste, mouth rinses, etc. Because of the wide variety of uses for limestone, quality control and precise characterization is an important part of limestone mining and processing operations.