Growth in the use of lime for environmental protection

When compared with the traditional use of lime as a building material its v arious applications for environmental protection are of relatively recent d ate. In western industrialized countries this area of application only expa nded appreciably at the end of industrial development. The growth stabilize d during the mid to end of the 80s, since when the market has remained at a high and consistent level. The development in, the 90s was then characteri zed by continuous improvement in application technology, and there was no l onger any substantial expansion in lime sales. Modern, Efficient technologi es, which provide reliable solutions to the basic environmental problems, a re now available for the most important applications of lime in flue gas cl eaning waste water and slurry treatment, drinking water treatment and waste treatment. Candidates applying for membership of the EU can expect that th e lime sales potential for environmental protection will expand to a level of about 8 to 10 kg per head per year. The mix of fuels used for power gene ration is particularly important in this context. Countries with a high pro portion of coal-fired power stations will have a higher specific lime consu mption due to the necessary desulphurization. New EU regulations aimed at t ightening the requirements are currently expected for all areas of lime app lication in environmental protection, so they may also expand the lime mark et.