Importance of Limestone Specific Surface for Assessing Neutralization Effectiveness in Soilless Root Substrate
2016
Rippy, Janet F. M. | Nelson, Paul V. | Hesterberg, Dean L. | Niedziela, Carl E. | Kamprath, E. J. | Bilderback, Ted
The relationship of specific surface to particle diameter and calcium carbonate (CaCO ₃) content of limestone was examined. Limestones obtained from 20 North American quarries were wet sieved into eight particle diameter fractions (600 to ˂38 µm). Specific surface of particles was measured in each fraction following the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller theory. The range in specific surface across the 20 sources varied from 74-fold in the coarsest particles (600–300 µm) to 20-fold in the finest particles (˂38 µm). The pattern of specific surface progressing from the coarsest to the finest particles varied radically between sources. The relationship between specific surface and CaCO ₃ content was likewise very weak. While particle diameter and CaCO ₃ equivalent remain the traditional measurements for defining limestone for field production, specific surface provides additional information valuable to define the stricter neutralization capacities of limestone for soilless root substrates.
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