BY CHISOM IBEMERE
Calcite is known as one of the rock forming minerals of the Earth’s Crust. It is called a rock forming mineral due to its abundance and availability worldwide. They make up about 90% of Earth’s crust and are one of the unique minerals available during crustal rock formation. Other rock forming minerals may include quartz, dolomite, pyroxene and Olivine.
Calcite mineral is widespread and may be seen in Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. It is the major components of marble and limestone . They are one of the biggest carbon bank on earth.
The word “Calcite” was gotten from the German “Calcit” which is etymologically related to chalk. As the major constituent of limestone, it is normally formed from shells of dead marine organisms like planktons, red algae, spnges and some bivalves. Calcites are made up of carbon and Oxygen hence the formula CaCO3. They occur from the precipitation of calcium rich waters which leads to the formation of solid calcite crystals as the level of water reduces.
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Calcite mineral may be white, orange, yellow, brown or colourless with a vitreous lustre. It has a hexagonal crystal structure, transparent/translucent, mohs hardness of 3 and a specific gravity of 2.7.
Calcite is a popular mineral and known to be one of the most widely used. It’s application is widespread in construction, acid neutralization, monuments building, Agriculture and so on. In the construction industry, calcite are used in form of marble and limestone as dimension stones and in the production of concrete and cement used in construction of bridges, walls, buildings and a lot of other structures.
Calcite is a useful material in high quality paper production industries like magazines, newspaper etc. It ensures swift drying of paper and it is used for hardening and smoothening papers. They are the major filling material in Tyre and plastic industries.
Nigeria has large deposits of limestone and marble and the purest and largest quantities can be found in Mfamosing close to Calabar. The market value of Calcite was estimated at USD 10.5 billion in 2020 and proposed to increase to USD 16.48 billion by 2028 which is CAGR of 6% from 2020-2028.
