Calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) supplier Distributor Manufacturer in Kolkata West Bengal india

Calcium hydroxide (traditionally called slaked lime) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ca(OH)2. It is a colorless crystal or white powder and is obtained when calcium oxide (called lime or quicklime) is mixed, or slaked with water. It has many names including hydrated lime, caustic lime, builders' lime, slack lime, cal, or pickling lime. Calcium hydroxide is used in many applications, including food preparation, where it has been identified as E number E526. Limewater is the common name for a saturated solution of calcium hydroxide.

Other names

Slaked lime
Milk of lime
Calcium(II) hydroxide
Pickling lime
Hydrated lime
Portlandite
Calcium hydrate
Calcium dihydroxide

Uses

One significant application of calcium hydroxide is as a flocculant, in water and sewage treatment. It forms a fluffy charged solid that aids in the removal of smaller particles from water, resulting in a clearer product. This application is enabled by the low cost and low toxicity of calcium hydroxide. It is also used in fresh water treatment for raising the pH of the water so that pipes will not corrode where the base water is acidic, because it is self-regulating and does not raise the pH too much.

Another large application is in the paper industry, where it is an intermediate in the reaction in the production of sodium hydroxide. This conversion is part of the causticizing step in the Kraft process for making pulp. In the causticizing operation, burned lime is added to green liquor, which is a solution primarily of sodium carbonate and sodium sulfate produced by dissolving smelt, which is the molten form of these chemicals from the recovery furnace.

Food industry

Because of its low toxicity and the mildness of its basic properties, slaked lime is widely used in the food industry to:

clarify raw juice from sugarcane or sugar beets in the sugar industry, (see carbonatation)

process water for alcoholic beverages and soft drinks

pickle cucumbers and other foods

make Chinese century eggs

in maize preparation: removes the cellulose hull of maize kernels (see nixtamalization)

clear a brine of carbonates of calcium and magnesium in the manufacture of salt for food and pharmaceutical uses
fortify (Ca supplement) fruit drinks, such as orange juice, and infant formula

aid digestion (called Choona, used in India in paan, a mixture of areca nuts, calcium hydroxide and a variety of seeds wrapped in betel leaves)

substitute for baking soda in making papadam.
Remove carbon dioxide from controlled atmosphere produce storage rooms.