"A Low-carbon Approach for Lime Production using Self-propagating High " by Shubham Agrawal, Sayee Srikarah Volaity et al.
 

Abstract

Limestone calcination produces calcium oxide (or lime), that forms the basis for the manufacturing of many critical engineering materials such as cement and iron-and-steel. Limestone calcination—an endothermic reaction—is regarded as one of the most energy-and-CO2 intensive industrial chemical reactions, and is facilitated by fossil fuels, since the high temperature requirement (∼900 °C) renders it less conducive to electrification through renewable energy sources. In this study, a novel, low-temperature (∼450 °C) pathway for ultrafast calcination of limestone using combustion synthesis or self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) is developed. SHS leverages exothermic heat from the combustion of lignin or biomass—as low-carbon fuels—mixed with limestone. Pelletized samples consisting of different limestone-fuel ratios are subjected to SHS reactions in a furnace maintained at 350 °C or 450 °C, and the degree of limestone-to-lime conversion is determined using thermogravimetry. The type and content of fuel and the kinetics of combustion influence the: (a) temperature evolution in the sample; (b) time to attain peak temperature and the total SHS time (<15 >min); (c) expansion of the pellet; and (d) rate and extent of reactant-to-product conversion. The use of lignin alone, or an equal mix of lignin and biomass as fuel, achieves a limestone-to-lime conversion exceeding 90 %, contingent on processing conditions like pellet size and airflow rate. It is thus shown that SHS—which (i) uses less than half the energy, (ii) releases 25–30 % lower CO2 emissions, and (iii) is > 4X faster than a conventional thermal process—is a sustainable and viable approach for limestone calcination.

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

Second Department

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Comments

Universiti Putra Malaysia, Grant DMR 2228782

Keywords and Phrases

Biomass; Calcination; Lignin; Limestone; Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS); Thermogravimetric analysis

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1879-0690; 1364-0321

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2025 Elsevier, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Mar 2025

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