Precipitation Process of CaCO3 from Natural Limestone for Functional Materials

Abstract

This article aims to report on the production of precipitated CaCO3, with various morphologies and particle sizes through several methods, namely carbonation methods with CO2 gas bubbling, rapid mixing of the solutions, and carbonation with modified bubbling techniques. The simple bubbling method was performed by flowing CO2 gas into Ca(OH)2 solution until precipitation occurs. This method can produce calcite particles up to 100% at the intermediate temperatures. In the modified bubbling technique, the gas flow was interrupted by a breaker and porous material with variation of stirring speeds. Through this technique, it produces 99% aragonite particles at higher temperatures. Additionally, 95% spherically vaterite particles with porous structures can also be produced by the rapid mixing solution method at the low temperatures. Depending on the reaction temperature, pH and concentration of the solution, and CO2 gas flow rate, these methods provide alternative routes for producing precipitated CaCO3 particles from natural limestone extraction with certain morphology and particle size for additional applications.