The difference between light calcium and heavy calcium lies primarily in their production processes and applications. Light calcium, or precipitated calcium carbonate, is made through a chemical reaction. This produces finer, less dense particles. This makes it ideal for the food and pharma industries. It’s also good for high-quality paper and plastics. In contrast, heavy calcium, or ground calcium carbonate, is made by grinding limestone. This produces coarser, denser particles. Heavy calcium is used in construction materials, rubber, and coatings. It has excellent reinforcing properties. It’s crucial to understand these differences. They help in selecting the right calcium carbonate for industrial uses.
Among the filling and modifying materials for plastics, calcium carbonate occupies an unshakable important position. Calcium carbonate can be divided into heavy calcium carbonate and light calcium carbonate. So, in plastic products, what is the difference between light calcium and heavy calcium in application? Let’s take a rough look at it together:
Difference in concept
First, the difference in definition. Sedimentation volume, with anhydrous ethanolhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol as the sedimentation medium, is used to distinguish heavy calcium carbonate and light calcium carbonate. Sedimentation volume above 2.5mL/g is light calcium carbonate, sedimentation volume between 1.2L/g to 1.9mL/g is heavy calcium carbonate. If distinguished from production process, heavy calcium carbonate is made by mechanically crushing and sorting the ore, while light calcium carbonate is made by calcining, digesting and recarbonating the ore.
Some people mistakenly think that light calcium is lighter, because the same weight of calcium carbonate has different volumes when naturally accumulated. In fact, the apparent density of the two is different, while the actual difference in density is very small. The true density of heavy calcium is 2.6-2.9g/cm3, while that of light calcium is 2.4-2.6g/cm3.
Difference in application effect
Some manufacturers have reported that under the same conditions, products filled with heavy calcium of -400 mesh instead of light calcium, has obvious advantages when sold by weight, but if the products are sold by length, area or number, heavy calcium has no advantage over light calcium cement.
For example: for pipes, when filled with the same amount, the length of pipe filled with heavy calcium is a few thousandths shorter than the pipe filled with light calcium. When accumulated, the difference becomes larger.
To use heavy calcium or light calcium cannot be generalized
From academic point of view, there are many differences between heavy calcium and light calcium, such as different crystal forms, different specific surface areas and different oil absorption values. Moreover, the particle size and distribution of -400 mesh heavy calcium and light calcium are very different. To use heavy calcium or light calcium in plastic products cannot be generalized. Decision should be made basing on full consideration of their respective advantages, and combining technical and economic factors.
How can calcium carbonate be better applied in plastics industry?
Calcium carbonate has become one of the indispensable and important raw materials in plastics industry, its good application in plastic materials has also promoted the development of calcium carbonate industry.
We hope that enterprises in calcium carbonate industry will not only make good calcium carbonate products, but also further develop new plastic materials and new products with calcium carbonate as the main raw material.
In addition, there are still many enterprises that have no specific knowledge of filling and modifying. If we can improve our in-depth understanding of calcium carbonate, understand how calcium carbonate is used in plastic processing, it would be helpful to develop deep-processed products with calcium carbonate as the main raw material, thus calcium carbonate will have broader application prospects.
Which company should I choose for calcium carbonate powder related equipment?
Calcium carbonate is mainly applied to plastic products through filling and modification. To use calcium carbonate better in plastics, it must be processed. This includes crushing, grading, and modifying it. This has to mention powder processing machinery, such as: crushers, graders and modifiers. As a professional powder machinery manufacturer, Qingdao Epic Powder Machinery Co., Ltd can produce various kinds of powder processing equipment for different usage. Qingdao Epic’s ball mill, air classifier, and surface coating modifier can process calcium carbonate. These machines can work alone or as a high-efficiency, low-energy production line. They have a great reputation among customers worldwide. Qingdao Epic can provide high-quality products with high-quality after-sales service. If you have any questions or demands, please feel free to contact Qingdao Epic.