The reliable global leader for essential
calcium-based solutions
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Graymont’s extensive calcium-based solutions and operational infrastructure support vital industrial, construction, and agricultural processes and requirements. In addition to production of paper, glass, steel, and assorted other metals, applications include air and water purification as well as the extraction and processing of critical minerals.
Just as Graymont is committed to participating in a decarbonized economy, our customers across all the markets we serve are increasingly striving to decarbonize their supply chains. We work closely with them on their emerging needs, such as lower carbon process inputs, low-carbon products, and engineered solutions. Graymont will continue to reliably meet customers’ current requirements while also innovating new calcium-based solutions and applications.
Agriculture
Graymont produces a wide range of products used in the agriculture sector. These products are used primarily as soil conditioners and as a vital mineral for the animal feed sector.
As soil conditioners, lime and limestone products are vital ingredients in any fertilizer programme and make a significant contribution to healthy and productive soils. They are used to manage soil pH, assist with crop establishment and manage issues such as aluminum toxicity. High magnesium dolomite products are available from some regions across the Graymont network.
Graymont manufactures a wide range of crushed and screened pulverized limestone for the animal feed sector. Products are available that are utilized across several livestock types including swine, beef, dairy, sheep (in some regions) and poultry.
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Construction
Graymont manufactures a wide number of essential materials for various construction applications including roading materials, stabilization binders, fillers and adhesion agents for asphalt.
The product range includes heavy duty materials for road construction such as road base, aggregates and selected fill.
Products to assist with erosion control such as rip rap and shot rock are available at some Graymont sites.
Graymont has substantial technical knowledge and capability supplying lime binders for soil stabilization and fill drying. We also manufacture hydrated lime and limestone fillers for asphalt manufacture.
For fine limestone products with specific sizing and chemical specifications please refer to the Pulverized Limestone section of the products section of our website.
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Environmental
Lime is increasingly being used as a tool to assist in addressing a number of complex environmental issues and challenges.
Acid rain reduction, environmental rehabilitation, water and sewage treatment, agriculture, oil and gas production, and power generation are among the long and growing list of crucial sustainability-related applications for Graymont products.
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Food
Lime and limestone products have many uses across the food industry in various applications such as brine manufacture, vegetable preservation, tortilla production, sugar refining and as a compound to absorb CO2 during the storage of fruits and vegetables.
Graymont’s joint venture partner in South America, Grupo Calidra manufactures high quality hydrated lime for use as a food processing aid. The product is marketed under the Nixtacal brand. For further information please contact our sales team.
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Glass
A commercially important property of lime is its ability to form solutions with silicates.
When lime is heated with silica sand (SiO2) and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), a solution is formed that does not crystallize when cooled. Instead, it hardens to an amorphous, clear and nearly colorless solid - namely, glass.
Because it is a mixture and not a pure compound, glass does not have a distinct melting point; it gradually softens as it is heated. Therefore, it can be molded and blown into many useful shapes. The production of container glass from lime is another ancient use of lime.
A range of chemical limestone, dolomite and lime product types are available for general applications and achieving various properties such as flux capture, color, managing viscosity, improving durability and chemical resistance.
Refer to the related products shown or contact our sales team to enquire about our lime products for the glass manufacturing industry.
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Mining
The world's ability to support its population is sustained by the many products provided by the mining and metals industry. Mined materials are needed to build roads, hospitals, automobiles and houses, to make computers and satellites, generate electricity and provide the many other goods and services that consumers enjoy daily.
Consider a world without advanced manufacturing, agriculture or mass-scale energy production.
Virtually all of our needs must be dug from the earth, grown in the soil, or taken from the sea.
It is estimated, for instance, that we need to produce more than 40,000 pounds of new minerals a year for every person living in the United States. As the global population grows, increased demand for electronics, medicine, telecommunications, transportation and housing will accelerate the worldwide demand for minerals.
Limestone is one of those minerals. Aside from the many vital uses to which lime itself is put, limestone and quicklime products are used to help extract many of the other minerals the world relies on now and in the future.
Lime and limestone products are used for various mining applications including coagulation, flotation and recovery, milk of lime or lime slurry solutions, tailings treatment, acid mine drainage and storage activities.
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Mortars & Plasters
Lime is a truly versatile material widely used in the construction of buildings. It can be utilized in masonry applications as a component of mortar or of the masonry unit, exterior (stucco) and interior plaster systems. Lime products may also be a component of mixes and mortars used in applications such as Hemp and Strawbale construction techniques.
Lime has been used in building construction for thousands of years to create durable mortar and plaster. Lime putty was originally used for such applications, however most modern applications now utilize hydrated lime. Dolomitic Type S hydrated lime is preferred for applications in North America, due to its exceptional water-retention capability and proven performance.
Lime provides benefits to mortar and plaster in both the plastic and hardened state. In the plastic state, lime can enhance workability and water retention. In the hardened state, lime products react with carbon dioxide to regenerate calcium carbonate or limestone. This is a slow, gradual process that increases the hardness of the finished surface and allows for the closing of hairline cracks by a process called autogenous healing.
Since initial strength is needed in most applications, additives such as gypsum, cement or pozzolans are mixed with lime in construction applications. Lime can react with pozzolanic materials in the mortar or plaster to produce a cement-like product. The strength of lime-based mixes can be modified according to the needs of the particular application. This is particularly beneficial in restoration applications, where low strengths and high vapor permeability are required.
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Water
Lime is used to condition and treat many types of water and solids across the sector including potable water, wastewater and biosolids. Lime can also assist to balance mineral content of water supplied from desalination plants.
Lime is used by many municipalities/councils to improve liquid phases including to soften water, adjust pH, improve coagulation and purity remove impurities such as heavy metals and tannins.
Lime is also commonly used to dewater biosolids, control pathogens, minimize insect vectors and neutralize odors. Graymont can assist customers with the appropriate product and provide assistance with application methods.
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Lime in Flue-Gas Treatment
Lime and limestone play a significant role in the removal of pollutants from the flue-gas streams of coal-fired power plants, incinerators, boilers and industrial facilities.
Lime and limestone are used in the treatment of pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), hydrogen chloride (HCl), hydrogen fluoride (HF), sulfur trioxide (SO3), arsenic (As), selenium (Se), fine particulates and mercury (Hg).
Lime and limestone products are used in both wet and dry flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) processes.
In wet FGD processes, these products are slurried with water and sprayed into a flue-gas scrubber vessel. The acidic gases, normally SO2 and HCl, are absorbed into the water where they chemically react with the lime and limestone. The resulting products, primarily calcium sulfite, can then be oxidized to produce calcium sulfate, a salable gypsum byproduct that can be used for applications such as correcting soil sodicity.
There are three basic types of dry FGD processes.
- Dry-injection processes inject dry hydrated lime directly into the flue-gas stream.
- Spray-dryer processes inject finely atomized lime slurry into a separate vessel. Water from the slurry is evaporated before the solids contact the vessel walls.
- Circulating dry-scrubbing processes inject dry hydrated lime or humidified pulverized quick lime into a separate reaction vessel.
With all three processes, the acidic gases combine with lime to form a dry product that is removed from the flue-gas stream in particulate-control devices, such as baghouses or electrostatic precipitators.
Graymont services all of these wet and dry applications and is able to provide technical support to our customers.
Please refer to the related products shown or contact our sales team to enquire about our product range and services.
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Pulp & Paper
Lime is an important ingredient in the manufacture of pulp and paper. It is used in the treatment of liquid wastes as a coagulant in color removal, a filtration conditioner and as a neutralizing agent. It is also used in the recovery of valuable by-products from pulp and paper mill wastes.
Both lime and value-added lime-based products are available from Graymont for use in sulfite-pulping and kraft pulping processes. Graymont can supply quicklime as make up lime and chemical grade calcium carbonate for paper making applications.
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Steel
Lime is an important ingredient in the production of steel. We work together with our customers to solve problems and define solutions that aid our steel customers to succeed in this highly competitive industry.
There are many uses of lime in the steel industry including the following three:- Lime is used to convert iron into 'pig iron'. In the blast furnace, finely ground or granular limestone (with a low sulfur and alkali content) is used together with finely ground lime to convert ore into pig iron. The pig iron is later processed into steel.
- Lime is used as a fluxing agent in electric arc furnaces and basic oxygen furnaces. Lime removes impurities (for example, silica, phosphorus, sulfur) from the steel being manufactured. The lime fuses with the impurities to form slag, which separates from the steel and is removed. This process improves the quality of the steel.
- Lime is also used to enhance the refractory life of the furnaces. The magnesium oxide (MgO) in dolomitic lime reduces the tendency of steel slag to dissolve the MgO within the furnace refractory.
In addition to the widespread use of our non-blended lime and limestone products, Graymont develops and supplies custom blends of these materials to suit the needs of our customers. We provide solutions that will help our steel customers succeed in this highly competitive industry, maximizing their production and helping them to meet quality requirements.
Graymont's hydrated lime can also be used for miscellaneous applications in steel making including as a lubrication agent when drawing steel rods, pH correction in wastewater and for bathing finished steel products. Hydrated lime is also sometimes used as a whitewash coating on the steel.
Please refer to the related products shown or contact our sales team to enquire about our product range.
Contact us for more information or keep reading learn more about our applications.
Applications
Lime and limestone products play a vital role across a wide range of industries, from agriculture and construction to steelmaking and environmental protection. Their unique chemical properties make them essential for soil conditioning, water treatment, industrial manufacturing, and pollution control. Graymont’s high-quality lime solutions are designed to enhance efficiency, improve product quality, and support sustainable practices across various sectors. Explore the applications below to learn more, or contact Graymont for tailored solutions to meet your specific industry needs.
Agriculture Applications
Graymont produces a wide range of lime and limestone-based products used in agriculture.
- Aerial Application
- Aluminum Toxicity
- Cropping
- Dairy Effluent Ponds
- Herd Home Hygiene
- Improving Soils
- Poultry Health
- Prawn Farming
- Stock Feed Minerals
Construction Applications
Graymont provides quality construction stone and materials.
- Acid Sulphate Soils
- Aggregates in Construction
- Erosion Control and Flood Prevention
- Fill Materials
- Landscaping
- Lime in Asphalt
- Lime in Soil Stabilization
- Masonry Structures
- Pavement Base Courses
Environmental Applications
Lime is essential for addressing various environmental challenges, including air and water purification.
- Environmental Remediation
- Industrial Water Treatment
- Mine Discharges
- Soils and Sludges
Food Applications
Graymont offers high-quality lime products tailored to the needs of the food industry.
- Food and Produce Industry
- Sugar Processing
Glass Applications
Graymont offers a range of calcium and magnesium products for glass manufacturers.
- Dolomitic Limestone
Mining
Graymont's products support the mining and metals industry, aiding in mineral extraction and processing.
- Coagulation
- Coal Dust Suppression
- Flotation and Recovery Processes
- Milk of Lime Solutions
- Soda Ash Production
- Tailings Treatment and Reclamation
Mortars and Plasters
Lime is a versatile material used in the construction of buildings, particularly in mortars and plasters.
- Hemp Lime
- Mortar
- Plastering
- Restoration
- Whitewash
Municipal Water Treatment
Lime products are essential for treating potable water, wastewater, biosolids, and industrial water supplies.
- Biosolids Treatment
- Potable Water Treatment
- Wastewater Treatment
Services
Graymont has technical and sales personnel skilled in addressing challenges raised by customers. They are available to work with customers to help determine the proper products to best meet their specific needs. Typical examples of this collaboration and support include flue-gas treatment projects, steel blends of high calcium and dolomitic products, the use of lime in asphalt, or how best to apply building products.
Transportation
Graymont has extensive expertise in the safe, efficient transport of our products, by truck, rail or water. The emphasis is on building reliable, cost-efficient supply networks to best serve customers. An example of this commitment is the Company's extensive network of terminals stretching across the United States and Canada.
Material Handling
Graymont will review and inspect customer's material-handling facilities and design criteria in order to ensure efficient and economical operations. Upon request, Graymont is prepared to own and operate such facilities at the customer's site, including storage facilities. Graymont also leases portable lime slakers and silos, as well as unloading and material-handling equipment for short-term projects.