Limestone Day: what equipment is needed to generate a versatile product?

Agricultural limestone presents a good business opportunity for quarries and mining companies. Brazil's agribusiness sector still does not consume the minimum required amount. Furthermore, the dosage recommendation is being revised upwards.

Versatile, limestone can also be generated in a plant in an integrated manner with products, such as aggregates for civil construction.

The reliability of the equipment used in generation must be present. Máquinas Furlan develops plants for limestone, whose national date is celebrated on May 24th. The company manufactures its own jaw crushers, re-crushers and hammer mills, commonly used in this type of operation.

Stay with us and find out more.

Limestone consumption may increase; experts revise dosages upwards

Limestone for agricultural purposes is a soil acidity corrector that has contributed to grain harvests in Brazil. Production has increased sixfold in the last 40 years, while the planted area has only doubled.

But how did this happen, if more than 90% of the country's planting areas suffer from acidity? Productivity was boosted by practices such as soil analysis, liming – using limestone – and fertilization. We tell you a little about these techniques. here .

Limestone is a material that is already found in nature and is transformed into powder for application. To enter the acidity corrective market, the company depends on authorization granted by the Ministry of Agriculture after analyzing the rock.

National Agricultural Limestone Day is celebrated on May 24th. Investing in the limestone market is a good business for mining companies. The estimate is that national consumption should be 80 million tons. Today, it reaches 56 million.

Even the projection is being reassessed. There are researchers advocating 3 tons of limestone for every ton of fertilizer. Today, producers use 1:1.

Abracal, which represents the industry in the sector, advocates for more resources from the Safra Plan to correct soil acidity.

What are the main equipment used in the production of agricultural limestone?

The choice of equipment to generate limestone involves studies, such as the production desired by the mining company and the input and output granulometry of the ore.

The Furlan team states that hammer mills are the most commonly used in the final phase of an agricultural limestone plant. The machine receives rocks up to 3 inches in size and delivers rocks below 2 mm. Before them, there are jaw crushers (primary phase) and jaw or cone crushers (secondary phase).

Meet here the catalog of Furlan's JC line jaw crushers, a simple and robust piece of equipment.

Sieving, with vibrating units, is important so that the rock has a suitable grain size to enter a hammer mill.

The plant may also have vibrating feeders, in addition to belt conveyors. All equipment must contribute to a safe, high-performance quarry, with minimal maintenance downtime and using high-yield spare and wear parts.

Furlan manufactures an extensive line of equipment, which increases machine reliability. It also offers complete plants.

The production expectation will also help define the dimensioning of the equipment, such as the power of the motors and the size of the screens or crushers, and the number of mills required.

More than one end product? Yes, and construction aggregates are an option

Projects developed by Furlan may offer more than one final product. The diversification will depend on the characteristics of the rock.

If it has adequate mechanical resistance, it is possible for the same installation to produce agricultural limestone in one period and aggregates for civil construction in another. The simultaneous generation of both is also possible. Examples of aggregates include crushed stone and sand, among others.

Limestone consumption is seasonal. The predominant agricultural crops in the region where the mineral is processed have an influence. The limestone industry in São Paulo has the highest orders between May and October, due to sugarcane and oranges.

Mining companies also work with stocks. During rainy periods, operations are less intense, making room for other products in the plant.

Limestone is versatile. Fine grain sizes, below 1 millimeter, are used in the raw material for cement, roads, toothpaste and paints. The Furlan ball mill has a high yield with finer powders.

The advantages of a supplier like Furlan, which has 3 factories in one

Máquinas Furlan is one of the leaders in the supply of mining equipment, accessories and steel castings for wear and replacement.

Its industrial park in Limeira (SP) concentrates 3 factories in a single space: the Equipment area, the Foundry and the Services sector. It has 62 years of experience in mining projects, with those in the limestone area being among the company's first clients.

So, bring your limestone production project to Furlan. Click here and schedule a meeting with our team.