High quality Brazilian ag lime being produced

A high calcium oxide (CaO) product is being introduced by the Brazilian Aguia Resources Limited fertilizer company. The company contends its CaO is of such high quality that fewer tons of this ag lime are needed per acre to meet lime applications needs for agricultural land.

The company is using "advanced flotation technology" to recover quality CaO from "rougher phosphate tailings" with the final product having low levels of magnesium, iron, aluminum and silica. The company has spent more than a year to determine the way to economically use the advanced technology.

The calcite concentration grading of the CaO is 48.5%, the company reports. The technology also results in fine grain-sized product that "translates into 100% reactivity."

The CaO meets both the quality standard for agricultural use and the cement industry. From all indications, the Aguia CaO will be mainly marketed in Brazil because of a growing calcite market and demand, which could influence the amount of CaO imported by fertilizer companies outside of Brazil.