The Essentiality of Limestone - Assignment Example

Environmental Studies Environmental Studies This presentation will be discussing the essentiality of limestone in general and also specifically limestone found in India. Fundamental facts and information about the properties of limestone will also be provided, locations of significant mines and sites where the rock is found will be pin pointed and the various categories of limestone that are found will be discussed. Outlining the above mentioned details are important to reach the heart of this presentation; which will talk about the uses of limestone in trade, business, manufacturing of goods and export and a conclusive analysis about the sustainable use of limestone for an organization that might require it as part of a production process. These key points will be talked about in lieu of the state of limestone production and manufacture in India. There are certain key phrases and words that will considerably summarize the entirety of this essay and completely describe the topics and the findings that are to be discussed. These words are categorically subdivided into the topics that they seek to illustrate; the word property refers to the appropriate characteristics of limestone that is found in different regions of the world, which make it valuable for industries requiring the product. The second key word of availability intends to depict the discussion of popular locations of where limestone is or was in abundance and also the literal extent to which it is still available at those limestone sites and other regions that have been discovered. Trade or business describes the role that limestone played and continues to play in the shaping of industry and how it is utilized in that industry or sector. The word impact defines the numerous affects of the utilization of limestone in business and industry, on the environment and surroundings. The final key words are sustainable and economical, these describe the important analysis that will be made to judge the efficiency and cost affectivity of limestone for an organization. Limestone is a sedimentary rock that consists mostly of calcium carbonates which is in the form of a mineral called calcite. The places where limestone forms overtime in abundance usually comprise of shallow, warm, marine waters, which is exactly the kind of environment that is required by organisms to form a kind of calcium carbonate shell and skeleton and extract the essential ingredients from the ocean water. These organisms soon die out and their shell and skeletons accumulate and settle to form a type of biological sedimentary rock. This rock will contain at least fifty percent calcium along with a multitude of other minerals and materials, namely; Quartz, clay minerals, feldspar and a few more. There are several large limestone deposits in the world that have been extracted for use in industry. In parts of the United States there are extensive deposits of limestone of various ages from a handful of thousands to more than 350 million years old. In India, several deposits of limestone can be found that are used by the local industries for production processes. More than two-third of Indias production of limestone comes from five states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh. Each of these contributes more than 9 per cent of the countrys output. The areas of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh, each of which are producing over 5 per cent of the countrys lime­stone, account for another 28 per cent of the coun­trys production of limestone. . In India, the regions mentioned above; Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh, were the major sources of limestone that contributed to the nation’s supply. Together, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh had a tremendous total of 2,126 million tones of limestone in weight that contributed a total of twenty six percent to the country’s overall production of limestone. Andhra Pradesh, individually, accounted for 15.99 percent of the total output and is the third largest limestone deposit in India. The region of Rajasthan does not lag behind, contributing approximately 16.23 percent to the limestone output. This region however is of significance for it is responsible for producing the particular type of limestone that is used in the making of cement, individually extracted from the areas of Ajmer, Banswara, Bikaner, Dungarpur, Jodhpur, Kota, Sirohi and several more. In the region of Gujarat, India, a particularly better quality of limestone is found in the areas of Diwania, Pasuval, and Khunia. Apart from these major producers of limestone in India, there are countless other, smaller deposits that add up to form the entire output. A historical example of the use of limestone is found in the ancient Egyptian civilization. The Egyptians began using the sedimentary rock as a raw material in the construction of their pyramids, primarily because limestone’s properties offered a soft yet somewhat durable material that could be worked with using their blunt copper tools. So through this example we find possibly the first, primitive use of the resource that the world today requires in abundance for several different industries. Evidently, limestone is used in excess for the purpose of construction of buildings, designs and furniture. Therefore, it is safe to say that the extensive extraction of limestone and it’s use began when people who had access to the resource, figured that the rock may be valuable in the construction industry. “In most countries, the major use of limestone are as an aggregate in construction and building and as the primary raw material for the production of cement” (Lime And Limestone, 2008, p2). This notion carried to later years that saw limestone being vigorously extracted from the handful of deposits that had already been discovered. Indian limestone has several industrial uses and is utilized both in it’s raw form as well as it’s processed form for a variety of finished products. It plays a vital role as a raw material in a large selection of sectors, namely; Construction, being of most significance in this sector, agriculture, environment, and other industrial materials. In India, the major portion of the limestone output goes to the cement industry, approximately seventy six percent, whereas the iron and steel industry utilize a combined sixteen percent of the total production. Other industries have little use of limestone, the chemical industry, sugar, fertilizer, paper, and ferro-manganese industries use a mere total of eight percent of production. Limestone is the key ingredient in the creation of cement that is used to construct infrastructure. Despite the fact that India produced limestone in such abundance, there have been several shortages of cement that have halted construction altogether. The purest form of natural limestone that is found in some areas of India where limestone deposits exist, is used primarily for decorative purposes in government buildings, museums, extravagant hotels, and sometimes even homes if the occupants are able to afford it; Pure marble limestone is expensive compared to normal limestone. Limestone marble takes several unique shapes and patterns that make it valuable for these purposes in the form of floor tiles, statues, landscaping and roofing. Powdered limestone, obtained from limestone deposits in India that produce chalk limestone, is used to get rid of contamination from the surface of molten metal like iron and steel. It is also used as filler in products such as plastic, paint and paper. It might be difficult to imagine but this resource is also present in our edible products and medicines like breakfast cereals and calcium pills. Lime, which is an essential product in the chemical industry, is formed by mixing limestone with other raw materials and is used to purify water, enrich soil and smelt copper. Evidently, limestone is a very significant resource in numerous industries that count on its production so that they may continue running smoothly. Limestone is among the world’s most valuable resources that have been previously undermined for its commonness. Our understanding of limestone is insufficient compared to its essentiality in our economies. This resource is one whose physical properties meet the requirements of many industries and also research, however, its continuous use at the pace it is being used today, will ensure that the world runs out of it very soon. Limestone production in India is also facing major setbacks as deposits, even the larger ones, dry out and finish, causing a chain reaction that affect many different businesses requiring limestone. A sudden halt in production of limestone causes a sudden seizure of business activity in the industries linked to the resource due to which a shortage of output of several different products occurs, eventually leading to a reduction in trade and export. This process of decline in overall production has drastic negative impacts on the economy; Unemployment as business attempt to reduce their costs to compensate for loss in production, an increase in inflation in the economy due to the shortage of supply but ever growing demand, and other harmful effects that threaten economic growth and prosperity. Without doubt, the actual quarrying of limestone, its production and processing have quite a few negative impacts on the environment. Limestone deposits are very large in size and the process of mining the rock makes the entire site to be fairly easily visible from long distances, and the sight is not a pretty sight. The quarrying also permanently disfigures the natural landscape and ruins scenic beauty of the region. The processing of limestone for industrial and business use affects the environment as is produces dangerous gases and dust such as alkaline dust that is hazardous for human health, particularly those with respiratory diseases. These by-products also affect other living organisms like plants and trees, further destroying natural environment. There is a tremendous amount of noise pollution as well that emits from factories using limestone as raw material. Since limestone is a heavy rock object, its transport requires large trucks that are costly and their abundance causes traffic pollution. Sustainability is essential for the welfare of our world and the steady growth of society. We work to increase the sustainability of natural resources and the environment, for that purpose, we offer suggestions and recommendations to organizations. In this case, limestone is the resource in discussion. It is clear that limestone deposits will run dry, in fact, shortages have already begun. It is therefore important to look for sustainable solutions and replacements for limestone that will ensure continued, quality production for the business. A project known as The Efficient Limestone Crusher Project was introduced to increase the sustainable quarrying of limestone using specialized crushers and heavy machinery, applying this method may also prove sustainable for the business. Bibliography PRASADA RAO, G. H. S. V., PAUL, D. K., & PRASADA RAO, A. D. (1965). Limestone deposits of India. Delhi, Manager of Publications. J. A. H. Oates (2008). Lime and Limestone. John Wiley & Sons Read More