User:Annawood2/Limestone

Uses
Limestone is a raw material that is used globally in a variety of different ways including construction, agriculture and as industrial materials.

Limestone can be processed into many various forms such as brick, cement, powdered/crushed, or as a filler. Metamorphosed limestone, created by heat and pressure produces a marble, creating many beautiful statues, architecture and stone tabletops.

Raw material of limestone is the creator of lime primarily known for treating soils, purifying water and smelting of copper. Lime is an important ingredient used in chemical industries.

- It can aid in the removal of toxic components created from coal burning plants and layers of polluted molten metals.

Scarcity
Limestone is a huge industrial material that is in constant demand. This raw material was and has been essential in the iron and steel industry since the nineteenth century. Companies never had a shortage of limestone, however it was a concern as the demand continued to increase and in fact is still in high demand today. The major potential threats back in the nineteenth century were regional availability and accessibility. The two main accessibility issues were transportation and property rights. Other problems were high capital costs on plants and facilities due to environmental regulations and the requirement of zoning and mining permits. These two dominant factors lead to the adaptation and selection of other materials that were created and formed to design alternatives for limestone that suited economic demands.

Limestone was classified as a critical raw material however, with the potential risk of shortages, it drove industries to find new alternative materials and technological systems. This allowed limestone to no longer be classified as critical and granted a significant impact to the construction of new substances, minette ores is a common substitute for example.