Calcium Hydroxide, commonly known as Hydrated Lime or slaked lime, has diverse industrial, environmental, and agricultural applications due to its alkaline properties. Here are some common uses:
### 1. **Construction and Building Materials**
- **Cement and Mortar:** Hydrated lime is used in the production of mortar and plaster to increase the workability, water retention, and durability of these materials.
- **Soil Stabilization:** It helps stabilize soil in construction projects, improving its strength and resistance to moisture.
### 2. **Water Treatment**
- **pH Regulation:** Hydrated lime is widely used to adjust the pH in water treatment plants to reduce acidity, improve water quality, and remove impurities.
- **Wastewater Treatment:** It helps in treating industrial effluent, neutralizing acidic wastewater, and precipitating heavy metals for easier removal.
### 3. **Environmental Applications**
- **Flue Gas Treatment:** It is used to remove acidic gases (such as sulfur dioxide and hydrogen chloride) from industrial emissions, helping control air pollution.
- **Soil Amendment:** Hydrated lime is added to acidic soils to raise the pH level, making it more suitable for agriculture.
### 4. **Agriculture**
- **Pest Control:** It can be used to create a barrier against pests, especially in organic farming.
- **Animal Feed:** Hydrated lime is used in animal nutrition to balance dietary needs.
- **Disinfection:** It is used for disinfecting livestock pens and barns due to its ability to neutralize harmful pathogens.
### 5. **Chemical Manufacturing**
- **Calcium-based Chemicals:** Hydrated lime is an important ingredient in the production of calcium stearate, calcium chloride, and calcium hypochlorite (bleaching powder).
- **Food Industry:** It is sometimes used as a food additive (E526) to regulate acidity and in food preparation (e.g., processing corn in tortilla production).
### 6. **Paper and Pulp Industry**
- **Bleaching and Clarification:** Hydrated lime helps in the production of pulp by acting as a clarifying agent in the preparation of the raw material for paper-making.
### 7. **Leather and Textile Industry**
- **Tanning:** Hydrated lime is used in leather tanning to dehair hides and prepare them for further treatment.
- **Textile Processing:** It helps in treating fibers during the manufacturing of textiles, aiding in the dyeing process.
### 8. **Mining**
- **pH Control:** It is used in mineral processing operations to adjust the pH of flotation processes and reduce the acidity in mineral ores.
- **Cyanide Treatment:** In gold mining, hydrated lime helps in the cyanidation process to recover gold from ores.
These are some of the common uses across various industries, highlighting the versatility of Calcium Hydroxide.