As calcium-bearing minerals have become more widely used in agriculture, energy, and
road-building and more important in the marketplace as a result, their analysis has been
subject to a great deal of debate and controversy. Qualitative analysis is critical to justify
pricing to suppliers and to give end-users confidence that the materials and the products
they ultimately are used in will perform as required.
Three primary methodologies have been established as the commonly accepted criteria
for qualitative analysis to provide a comprehensive chemical evaluation of these
materials:
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ASTM C25, “Standard Test Methods for Chemical Analysis of Limestone, Quicklime, and Hydrated Lime.
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ASTM C1271, Standard Test Method for X-Ray Spectrometric Analysis of Lime and Limestone.
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ASTM C1301, “Standard Test Method for Major and Trace Elements in Limestone and Lime by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP) and Atomic Absorption (AA).
For the suppliers and the end-users of these materials, the three main questions they want
answered are:
1) Which method allows the shortest laboratory turnaround time?
2) Which method is most cost-effective?
3) Which method gives the most accurate results?
The first two questions are addressed in Part I of this paper. The third question is discussed in the second part of this paper.