Effect of Particle Size on the Kinetics of Thermal Decomposition of Limestone and Marble

Department of Chemical Technology, University of Calcutta, Calcutta-700 009

Manuscript received 1 June 1987, revised 16 October 1987, accepted 7 January 1988

THE kinetic approach to the study of thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate is important because it is likely to provide basic information about minerals, their structure etc. Whiting and Turner¹ noted the effect of grain size on the rate of decomposition of calcium carbonate. The observation of Hashimoto and Ito² reveals that the rate of thermal decomposition of calcite powder in CO₂ atmosphere is inversely proportional to the diameter of the particle. The present paper reports the effect of particle size on the kinetics of thermal decomposition of limestone and marble in air.