Recent Developments in the United States Lime Industry and Applications

摘要

The United States lime industry has been in a of consolidation and modernization for many years. Unfortunately, in recent years, several industries that have been long-term, large-volume users of lime have experienced changes that have decreased overall lime consumption. The lime industry has changed from small, family-run operations to large international corporations each with numerous producing properties that support one another in providing a dependable supply to customers. The number of lime companies and lime plants has decreased; the production capacity of individual plants and the employee productivity have increased greatly. Private foreign interests own the largest U.S. lime companies. Large amounts of capital have been invested in upgrading and modernizing plants. While the total lime tonnage has increased, the price of lime in constant dollars has dropped steadily (Table 1).