Lime hydrate (fluff, slaked lime), the formula of which is Ca (OH) 2, does not require special storage conditions. The material may be kept outdoors. Only a canopy is needed to protect it from rain.
To completely extinguish fifty-six kilograms of lime into powder, about forty liters of water should be used, which is about sixty-nine percent of the volume of lime taken. In the event that less liquid is taken, the process will be incomplete.
If slaked lime is produced in a closed space, and water vapor cannot be removed, the process will be complete with less liquid. However, the amount of water should be close to the theoretically required one.
When in contact with H2O, the "boiler" (what lime is made of) begins to absorb it. In the process, the raw material cracks, crumbling gradually into the smallest powder. At the same time, the formation of heat in large quantities is noted.
The purer the lime, the more completely and faster it crumbles during the slaking process. As a resultit turns out the fluff powder is more tender and voluminous. Hydrated lime has a volume three to three and a half times greater than the feedstock. This increase occurs with a fairly large force. This factor is used, for example, when splitting stones. However, it should be said that such a strong increase becomes possible due to the loosening of the substance, that is, the total pore volume becomes larger.
Slaked lime is usually produced in factories. The most common method is when a pile formed from pieces of a "boiler" on a plank platform or a rammed platform is poured with water, sprinkled with a layer of sand. Sand is needed to retain water vapor.
Another, less cost-effective and therefore less commonly used method of obtaining is the method of immersion in water. At the same time, pieces of "boiling water" are put into baskets (iron or woven from willow twigs) and lowered into H2O. Keep the raw material until the water starts to turn white. It should be said that this method is very laborious.
The most perfect is the method of converting feedstock into powder by exposing it to hot steam. For extinguishing by this method, an iron boiler is used, which is strong enough and with a tightly closed neck. The tank is equipped with a pressure gauge and safety valve. The required amount of raw materials is poured into the boiler, taking into account the increase in volume as a result. Then pour in the required amount of water andhaving hermetically closed the container, they begin to rotate it. So, the process of scattering is accelerated. Under the influence of high pressure, the temperature in the boiler rises to one hundred degrees. As a result, extinguishing is carried out completely and quickly.
Slaked lime does not dissolve well in water. When mixing sand and lime paste, a solution is obtained, which is widely used in finishing, in particular, plastering, works.
