Limestone is one of the most widely distributed minerals in the earth. The mineral composition is mainly calcite, accompanied by dolomite, magnesite and other carbonate minerals, and also mixed with some other impurities. According to the different components contained in the ore, limestone can be divided into siliceous limestone, clayey limestone and dolomitic limestone. Limestone is the trade name for limestone as a mineral raw material.

Main components of limestone

The main component of limestone is calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). In addition, limestone may also contain elements such as silicon, aluminum, iron, and magnesium. The existence form and content of these elements depend on the source and formation conditions of the limestone. Therefore, limestone in different areas may contain different impurities and elements, so its specific composition may vary.

Limestone Application

As a common non-metallic mineral, limestone has a wide range of uses. In modern industry, limestone is a raw material for preparing cement, glass, calcium carbide, soda ash, etc. It can also be directly processed into stone and gravel for use as building materials. In addition, it can be processed to produce quicklime and calcium carbonate, which are used in many fields such as metallurgy, ceramics, environmental protection, medicine, rubber, plastics, and papermaking.

Application of XRF in Limestone Detection

The quality of limestone is one of the important determinants of the quality of the product. The chemical composition of limestone not only affects the technical quality indicators of the product, but also has a great impact on the processing process of limestone. Different fields have different requirements for the composition of limestone. Therefore, in order to ensure the consistency of end product quality and the safety of the process, it is necessary to continuously monitor the quality changes of limestone. 

The traditional chemical sample detection process is cumbersome and requires the use of dangerous chemical reagents such as strong acids, and it is impossible to detect multiple elemental components at the same time. As an accurate and efficient modern analysis method, XRF can quickly identify and quantitatively analyze the composition and content of calcium carbonate and impurity elements in limestone samples. It can also reversely calculate its concentration through chemical molecular formulas to determine its compound content. It has the advantages of wide linear range, fast analysis speed, good reproducibility, and high precision, and plays a very important role in the quality detection of limestone.

Example

The following is a measurement of GBW070152 sample using ScopeX 980CS desktop vacuum analyzer. The results are as follows: