Industrial Lime Production: An Inevitable Trend

Industrial Lime Production: An Inevitable Trend

While the world has advanced significantly, Vietnam’s lime production industry currently remains predominantly manual. Therefore, developing industrial lime production to gradually replace manual lime kilns is an urgent requirement and an inevitable trend. Factories and investors with advantages in raw materials, technology, equipment, etc., need to make preparations to be ready to invest and enter the market.

Industrial Lime – The Foundation for the Development of Other Industries

In Vietnam’s next phase of economic development, industrial lime is an essential and important product that supports the growth of other industries. Since ancient times, it has been used in the construction industry. Additionally, lime is widely used in metal refining, especially steel manufacturing, in agriculture, in the food industry, and in cement production. In fact, lime is one of the most widely used chemicals. Currently, industrial lime is used in almost every manufacturing sector. Crushed limestone is used in coal mines to reduce coal dust, thereby decreasing the risk of explosions.

In agriculture, lime fertilizer is used to raise soil pH, increase calcium and magnesium content, promote microbial activity, and enhance the release rate of organic matter and nutrients from the soil. In the aluminum industry, lime helps remove silica from bauxite ore during alumina production. For the construction industry: Lime is used in the production of calcium silicate bricks, insulation, and building materials. Lime is also used in mortar for laying bricks and for walls. Furthermore, lime is added to concrete and mortar to improve the performance of construction projects.

Additionally, lime reacts with raw sugar water in the production of both cane and beet sugar. Lime is an ingredient in baking soda and helps keep fruits and vegetables fresh. Lime neutralizes acid waste generated in industries, thereby preventing corrosion and protecting the natural environment. Lime also removes silica, manganese, fluoride, iron, and other impurities from water.

In paper, pulp, and paper manufacturing plants, lime is used to recover caustic soda during the process of converting wood chips to pulp. Lime bleaches paper pulp and also dissolves non-cellulose components from straw and decomposes its fibers during the production of strawboard and pressed pulpboard.

Notably, lime plays an important role in pollution control and water treatment. Lime and limestone are used to absorb sulfur dioxide from emissions in smelters and power plants. Lime reduces pollution by removing organic matter, phosphates, and nitrogen from wastewater. It prevents excessive vegetation growth in streams and lakes, controls odors from waste ponds, and precipitates heavy metals. Lime treats industrial water supplies, including drinking water for cities and process water used in industry. It softens water by removing bicarbonate hardness and disinfects against bacteria.

Lime is also an indispensable material in the steel manufacturing industry. Lime is used as a flux for steel purification and removes phosphorus, sulfur, and silica impurities. Lime lubricates steel rods as they are drawn through dies to form wire. By creating a coating, lime prevents ingots from sticking to molds during cast iron production. Lime neutralizes pickling acids for steel products.

Industrial Lime Production Remains Weak

According to surveys, Vietnam has large limestone reserves capable of being used for cement and lime production on an industrial scale. The total surveyed limestone resources amount to 633 deposits, including 351 deposits for cement production (approximately 44.74 billion tons); 227 deposits for construction aggregates (for concrete, roads, bridges, culverts, etc.) (approximately 7.69 billion m³); and 55 dolomite deposits (approximately 2.67 billion tons).

However, Vietnam currently has only about 7 lime production lines with very modest technology and mechanization levels. These include: An Hoa Paper Mill’s lime plant (200,000 tons/year, rotary kiln technology); Duc Thai Joint Stock Company (150,000 tons/year, vertical kiln technology); Hoa Phat Steel Joint Stock Company (150,000 tons/year, vertical kiln technology); Savina Joint Stock Company (60,000 tons/year, vertical kiln technology); Vietnam Lime One Member LLC (150,000 tons/year, vertical kiln technology); Chu Lai Soda Ash Joint Stock Company (350,000 tons/year, rotary kiln technology); and Tan Thanh My Joint Stock Company (40,000 tons/year, vertical kiln technology). With the current technology, Vietnam’s lime products often have inconsistent quality, and the output can only be used in industries with low and non-specific quality requirements. Therefore, the selling prices of Vietnamese lime products are not high.

To develop the industrial lime production sector, the Ministry of Construction has approved the Master Plan for Lime Industry Development to 2020 and Orientation to 2030. This plan will be implemented nationwide and divided into 6 economic zones, focusing on provinces with strong potential for lime production, such as Thai Nguyen, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Ha Nam, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Quang Binh, Tay Ninh, Kien Giang…

Accordingly, high-value, stable, and sustainable lime products will be produced based on the economical and efficient use of resources, and the use of alternative raw materials towards green technology and environmental protection. Lime production facilities will be invested with modern technology, a high degree of mechanization and automation to improve product quality, diversify product types, and meet the needs of industrial, agricultural, construction, and export sectors. Regarding capacity scale, only new production lines with a kiln capacity of 200 tons/day or more will be considered for investment; technology and equipment must have a heat consumption of less than 900 kcal/kg, electricity consumption of less than 30 kWh/ton, and dust emissions of less than 30mg/Nm³.

This plan outlines a roadmap for the 2016 – 2020 period to maintain and enhance the capacity of existing mechanized lime production facilities, achieving an output of approximately 4,300,000 tons/year; invest in increasing the capacity of 17 projects with identified investors with a total designed capacity of 3,460,000 tons/year and 17 projects without identified investors with a total designed capacity of 1,200,000 tons/year. The total designed capacity in 2020 is projected to reach approximately 8,960,000 tons/year… Moving forward, Vietnam will invest in developing lime product manufacturing to meet the forecasted demand for 2030 of around 10 million tons.

However, according to some businesses, investing in industrial lime production is a difficult goal. If localities and relevant authorities do not resolutely implement the plan’s roadmap, there is a risk of “market collapse.”