Product

Magnesium Enhanced Quicklime (MEL) is a specialty commercial form of calcium oxide derived from a naturally occurring high-calcium limestone that contains an elevated magnesium content — above that of standard high-calcium limestone, yet below the threshold to be classified as dolomite. Its defining and commercially critical characteristic is that the calcium and magnesium in the source rock are not crystallographically bonded together, unlike in dolomitic limestone where Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ are locked in the CaMg(CO₃)₂ lattice. Upon calcination, this yields a product in which CaO and MgO remain as discrete, independently reactive species — a chemistry specifically engineered to enhance sulfur dioxide scrubbing efficiency in wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems at coal-fired power plants. MEL is routinely tested for quality and consistency to ensure the right chemical and physical properties for FGD compliance applications.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Key Performance Benefits

MEL's unbonded CaO + MgO chemistry delivers a specific set of advantages in wet FGD systems that neither high-calcium nor dolomitic quicklime can match:

• Reduces SO₂, SO₃, HCl, and HF emissions from coal-fired boilers
• Magnesium acts as a chemical buffer, enabling faster system start-up and quicker response to boiler load changes
• Prevents gypsum scaling in absorber recirculation equipment — a common problem with high-calcium lime
• Reduces absorber recirculation power consumption and reagent costs through increased acid capture efficiency
• Enables production of sellable gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate) as a saleable by-product, improving process economics
• Improves fuel flexibility — allows plant operators to switch between coal grades without losing FGD compliance
• Reduces plume opacity at stack
• Assists in meeting regulatory compliance standards for SO₂ emissions

Primary Application

MEL is an application-specific product with a single predominant use: wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) in coal-fired power generation plants. Unlike high-calcium and dolomitic quicklime, which serve broad multi-sector markets, MEL is specifically designed and supplied for FGD compliance — making it a specialty environmental reagent rather than a general-purpose industrial lime.

References

• Carmeuse. Magnesium enhanced quicklime (Accessed Mar 14, 2026)
• Carmeuse Americas (Mar 2024). Product Safety Data Sheet: Magnesium enhanced quicklime
• Duke Energy Kentucky, Inc. (Jul 25, 2024). Case No. 2024-00152: Application for Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to Convert Wet Flue Gas Desulfurization System. Kentucky Public Service Commission