A granular material may include a granular core including quicklime, the granular core having an overall concentration of CaO and MgO equal to or greater than 80% by weight. Optionally, a hydrophobic coating may cover the granular core. The granular core has compressive load until rupture equal to or greater than 50 N/granule, a slaking time t.sub.50 in water not exceeding 10 minutes, when the concentration of MgO is greater than 5% by weight with respect to the weight of the granular core, and a slaking time t.sub.60 in water not exceeding 6 minutes, when the concentration of MgO is less than or equal to 5% by weight with respect to the weight of the granular core. The present disclosure further relates to a process for preparing the granular material and to the use of the granular material in a metallurgical process or in the treatment of agricultural soil.

A granular material may include a granular core including quicklime, the granular core having an overall concentration of CaO and MgO equal to or greater than 80% by weight. Optionally, a hydrophobic coating may cover the granular core. The granular core has compressive load until rupture equal to or greater than 50 N/granule, a slaking time t.sub.50 in water not exceeding 10 minutes, when the concentration of MgO is greater than 5% by weight with respect to the weight of the granular core, and a slaking time t.sub.60 in water not exceeding 6 minutes, when the concentration of MgO is less than or equal to 5% by weight with respect to the weight of the granular core. The present disclosure further relates to a process for preparing the granular material and to the use of the granular material in a metallurgical process or in the treatment of agricultural soil.

A system based on plant or bio-sourced materials selected from among coatings, mortars and concretes of bio-sourced materials comprising a plant or bio-sourced material selected from the group consisting of wood and hemp, and a binder composition comprising a first conventional mineral component and a second component, said system being characterized in that said binder composition has a specific surface area calculated according to the BET method, greater than 10 m.sup.2/g, preferably greater than 12 m.sup.2/g, in particular greater than 14 m.sup.2/g and uses thereof.

A system based on plant or bio-sourced materials selected from among coatings, mortars and concretes of bio-sourced materials comprising a plant or bio-sourced material selected from the group consisting of wood and hemp, and a binder composition comprising a first conventional mineral component and a second component, said system being characterized in that said binder composition has a specific surface area calculated according to the BET method, greater than 10 m.sup.2/g, preferably greater than 12 m.sup.2/g, in particular greater than 14 m.sup.2/g and uses thereof.

A binder composition for enhanced mortars and coatings, comprising a first conventional mineral component and a second component based on powdery slaked lime, wherein said second component based on powdery slaked lime has a specific surface area calculated according to the BET method of less than 12 m.sup.2/g, advantageously less than 11 m.sup.2/g, in particular less than 10 m.sup.2/g, preferably less than 9 m.sup.2/g and its uses as well as the enhanced coating or mortar systems comprising an aggregate of the mineral type and the aforesaid composition.

A binder composition for enhanced mortars and coatings, comprising a first conventional mineral component and a second component based on powdery slaked lime, wherein said second component based on powdery slaked lime has a specific surface area calculated according to the BET method of less than 12 m.sup.2/g, advantageously less than 11 m.sup.2/g, in particular less than 10 m.sup.2/g, preferably less than 9 m.sup.2/g and its uses as well as the enhanced coating or mortar systems comprising an aggregate of the mineral type and the aforesaid composition.

An arrangement for burning lime mud into lime in a lime kiln. The lime mud flows counter-currently to flue gases from a feed end to a firing end and the fuel used is flue gas that is produced by gasifying a fuel in the presence of combustion air in a gasifier. The combustion air for gasification is preheated with heat generated in lime mud combustion. The arrangement is provided with a conduit between the lime kiln and the gasifier for leading air from the lime kiln into the gasifier as combustion air. At least a portion of the combustion air for gasification is preheated with heat generated in the lime mud combustion so that air is led into cooling of lime obtained in the combustion and further into the kiln, from or through the firing end of which air is taken into the gasification.

An arrangement for burning lime mud into lime in a lime kiln. The lime mud flows counter-currently to flue gases from a feed end to a firing end and the fuel used is flue gas that is produced by gasifying a fuel in the presence of combustion air in a gasifier. The combustion air for gasification is preheated with heat generated in lime mud combustion. The arrangement is provided with a conduit between the lime kiln and the gasifier for leading air from the lime kiln into the gasifier as combustion air. At least a portion of the combustion air for gasification is preheated with heat generated in the lime mud combustion so that air is led into cooling of lime obtained in the combustion and further into the kiln, from or through the firing end of which air is taken into the gasification.

The disclosure features methods that include obtaining a first plurality of particles that include calcium carbonate, where the particles have a distribution of sizes between 8 mm and 12 mm, and heating the first plurality of particles to a temperature of between 900 C. and 1200 C. for a time period of at least 1 hour to generate a second plurality of particles that include calcium oxide.

The disclosure features methods that include obtaining a first calcium hydroxide solution that includes a first concentration of calcium ions and a second calcium hydroxide solution that includes a second concentration of calcium ions, adding a phosphoric acid solution to the first calcium hydroxide solution to generate a combined solution featuring an aqueous suspension of calcium dihydrogen phosphate particles, and adding the second calcium hydroxide solution to the combined solution to form a product solution that includes an aqueous suspension of particles of a calcium phosphate composition.