Industrial

Calcium is part of nearly everything around you.

Not only is it essential in our own body's growth and an agricultural super-agent, it is also a key building block in all the everyday items around us.

Calcium carbonate is critical to the construction and manufacturing industries. It contributes to the making of hundreds to thousands of different materials, most of which we do not even notice. Click below to learn about a tiny portion of the everyday materials that contain calcium.

Concrete

Calcium improves water and nutrient absorption in animals, humans, and crops. Likewise, it is used in cement to accelerate the absorption of moisture in quick-set concrete. It is critical to high initial-strength concrete and the hyper-hydration of the mix.
Paint

Calcium carbonate is widely used as an extender in paints, in particular matte emulsion paint where typically 30% of the weight of the paint is either chalk or marble.
Paper

The bright whiteness of calcium makes it a great filler and finish for alkaline paper. It is an extremely inexpensive and available resource that is added to the pulp of paper to give it its bright white finish.
Glass

Calcium carbonate is a core component of the glass-making recipe. In the form of limestone, it acts as a stabilizer for the material making it stronger and water resistant. It introduces the calcium oxide, which is a critical component of the initial mixture.
Rubber

Calcium is used in most rubber compounds as an extender and detacktifying agent. It can also increase the level of rigidity and provide abrasion resistance in various types of rubbers.
Steel Production

Calcium is added during the manufacturing process of steel to reduce levels of sulphur and oxygen content. It also serves in stabilizing the final shape and rigidity of the steel product.
Water & Waste Treatment

Because of its antacid properties, calcium carbonate is used in industrial settings to neutralize acidic conditions in both soil and water. Calcium carbonate also benefits the environment through water and waste treatment, by eliminating acidic environments and reducing the risk and spread of disease.
Drilling Fluids

In the oil industry, calcium carbonate is added to drilling fluids as a formation-bridging and filter cake-sealing agent. It is also a weighting material which increases the density of drilling fluids to control the downhole pressure.
Swimming Pools

Calcium carbonate is added to swimming pools as a pH Corrector for maintaining alkalinity and offsetting the acidic properties of the disinfectant agent.
Polypropylene Compounds & Plastics

Calcium carbonate is also widely used as a filler in plastics. Polypropylene compounds are often filled with calcium carbonate to increase rigidity, a requirement that becomes important at high use temperatures. It is used in the production of some metals, and acts as an allying agent.