Lime Slurry

Butler Gas is Pittsburgh’s source for lime slurry, serving southwestern Pennsylvania and the surrounding region.

How do we make lime slurry? We manufacture acetylene.

The calcium carbide used for the generation of acetylene is manufactured by the reaction of high quality quicklime with carbon of selected cokes at high temperature in a submerged arc electric furnace. Acetylene (C2H2) is produced by reacting calcium carbide with water in specially designed acetylene generating equipment. The chemical equation for this reaction is:

CaC2 + 2H2O → C2H2 + Ca(OH)2 + HEAT

Calcium carbide + Water → Acetylene + Carbide Lime + HEAT (exothermic)

Carbide lime is obtained from the reaction of water and calcium carbide in the generation of acetylene gas. It is also referred to as carbide slurry, generator slurry, lime slurry, and lime hydrate. Carbide lime is available wherever acetylene is produced from calcium carbide, like Butler Gas Products.

Lime slurry has slight variations in chemical analysis depending on the carbide source and the production conditions. We can provide a sampling certificate to our customers. As it comes from the generator, carbide lime has a grayish color and a characteristic odor (garlic). The grayish color is due to the presence of small amounts of finely divided carbon and ferrosilicon. The odor, composed of acetylenic impurities, dissipates quickly on exposure to air.

Lime is a versatile chemical and a building material component. Carbide lime is equivalent in many characteristics to commercial hydrated lime, and in many applications lime slurry can be used as a substitute for hydrated lime. Lime slurry’s chemical and industrial uses are vast. Lime, one of the most widely used industrial chemicals, is used in chemical processes and in the manufacture of building products. Carbide lime’s high equivalent calcium oxide content and fine particle size contribute high reactivity and make it an ideal reactant for many chemical processes. Carbide lime is used in manufacturing trichloroethylene and in the production of ethylene oxide, ethylene glycol, propylene oxide, propylene glycol, and other organic chemicals. Wastes such as acids, phenol, and dyes can be neutralized with carbide lime. Hydrated lime is a recognized agent for the treatment of chemical and industrial wastes. Federal environmental legislation has added incentive to the demand for hydrated lime for treatment of chemical and industrial wastes. Carbide lime can be used in the manufacture of iron, steel, and nonferrous metals to neutralize pickling acids, control the pH of waste water or recycled water, act as a release agent for pig iron molds and cinder pots, and act as a causticizing agent in conjunction with soda ash for extracting alumina from bauxite. There are many uses for lime in the pulp and paper industry. Carbide lime reacts with chlorine to form calcium hypochlorite, a bleaching agent for pulp. Hydrated lime is used for the recovery of ammonia in by-product coke plants. Coke oven volatiles contain ammonia, which is removed by contact with carbide lime slurry in a stripping tower. The recovered ammonia is reacted with sulfuric acid to produce ammonium sulfate. Lime is used for pH control and to clarify paints and varnishes. Lime has been used in oil refineries to treat refinery gases for the removal of sulfur to reduce corrosion. Carbide lime is being used as a coagulating material in sewage treatment. It can also be used in coating the solids from a sewage treatment plant to aid in odor, insect, and parasite control. Carbide lime can be used in the manufacture of concrete, brick, precast cinder, and concrete block. The addition of hydrated lime to masonry increases surface smoothness, resistance to water absorption, and decreases brittleness. Among these diverse lime slurry applications is landfill construction. Carbide lime can be used as an alkaline liner for hazardous materials landfills, owing to its ability to chemically stabilize metals, and neutralize acid wastes. Additional benefits can be had from the pozzolanic reactions of lime and soil producing a hard, impermeable crust. Additionally, carbide lime can be used as a capping material for landfills, to ensure that alkaline conditions are maintained. Agriculturally, lime slurry is used to condition soil. Soil is a complex material possessing varying chemical, biological, and physical properties. The effect of lime on soils varies with the character of the soil, but lime applied to soil can neutralize soil acidity, promote the activity of beneficial bacteria and depress injurious soil organisms, replenish the supply of calcium, improve the texture of the soil, and hasten the decay of organic matter and the formation of nitrates.

We deliver lime slurry by the tanker load, and have it available for pick up at our acetylene plant. Contact us to discuss supply.