About half of the drinking water in the Netherlands is softened in pellet reactors. This technology generates a residual in the form of lime pellets, which consist of a sand nucleus (seed material) and a shell of calcium carbonate (lime). This residual product is reused as a secondary raw material in various sectors such as construction, agriculture and mineral commodities.
By replacing the sand nucleus with one made of calcite (calcium carbonate), one produces a ‘pure’ Dutch lime pellet, which consists of a single component and has a lower iron content. One thus creates a product with high-value application possibilities in industries such as glass, carpeting and paper. The returns on the lime pellets increase accordingly. The production of an own Dutch calcite as a seed material from ground and sieved lime pellets is, under certain circumstances, more advantageous than the extraction and delivery of an imported product from marble quarries abroad: it can thus generate a sustainability benefit. The portion of the Dutch lime pellets that is not processed into seed material can be employed as lime in Dutch industries.
Partners: Brabant Water, Dunea, PWN, AquaMinerals, Waternet and WML
