Characterization and Provenance of Carbonate Rocks for Quicklime and Dololime Production in Twin-Shaft Regenerative Kilns from the Arabian Peninsula and Neighboring Countries

Abstract

This study analyzes high-grade carbonate rocks from several strategic deposits in the Arabian Peninsula and neighboring countries. The rocks are used locally for quicklime and dololime production in twin-shaft regenerative kilns. Stable C-O-Sr isotopes, along with chemical, mineralogical-petrographic analyses, micropaleontological investigations, cathodoluminescence microscopy, organic carbon speciation, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, were used to trace the provenance of these rocks from economically significant non-metallic deposits. The resulting database can help identify and differentiate industrial raw materials that may appear similar chemically and/or macroscopically but have different textures/microstructures that can affect the properties of the derived burnt lime products. Various technological tests, including slaking reactivity, sticking tendency at high-temperature (i.e., 1300 °C), and physico-mechanical behavior of the lime, were performed to evaluate their suitability and predict lime performance in twin-shaft regenerative kilns. Comparison of laboratory and plant results validated the resulting database.