What is Pure Calcium Metal?
Calcium metal is mainly used in the steel industry.
There are two production methods of calcium metal, one is calcium metal produced by electrolysis, its purity is generally above 98.5%, after further sublimation, it can reach a purity of above 99.5%. The other is calcium metal produced by the aluminothermic method (also known as the leather pulp method), and its purity is generally about 97%. After further sublimation, the purity can be improved to a certain extent, but the content of some impurities such as magnesium and aluminum is relatively high. The electrolytic method is high in calcium metal.
In terms of physical properties, electrolytic calcium metal is relatively softer, easier to process, and has a higher recovery rate; while aluminothermic calcium metal is relatively hard, and the loss is relatively large in the process of processing finished products.
Calcium Metal Uses
As a very active metal, calcium metal is a powerful reducing agent. Its main uses include: deoxidation, desulfurization, and degassing in steelmaking and cast iron; Deoxidation in the production of metals; as an alloy substance, used in the lead industry to produce maintenance-free car batteries, calcium-lead alloys can increase strength, improve corrosion resistance and creep resistance; in various non-ferrous metals, rare earth metals It can be used as a deoxidizing and reducing agent in refractory metals; as an alloying agent (blending agent) in the production of non-ferrous alloys such as aluminum, beryllium, copper, lead, and magnesium; as a deoxidizer in the production of high-purity steel and non-ferrous alloys; in lead smelting Bismuth removal in industry and lead alloys; and some other uses.
Calcium Metal Manufacturer
The general properties of calcium metal are massive, crumb, and granular. Among them, calcium metal particles are mainly used to produce calcium-based cored wires, which are used in the production of high-purity steel and steel sheets; the main alloys are calcium-aluminum alloys and calcium-magnesium alloys.
Countries that produce calcium metal in the world include the United States, Canada, France (pulp method), Russia and China (electrolysis method, China also has Pidgeon method manufacturers); calcium metal manufacturers in the United States, Canada and France are due to their production costs and skin Due to pollution problems in Jiangfa, production has been reduced or stopped for many years, and calcium metal has been purchased from China and Russia. The annual production capacity of electrolytic calcium metal in China and Russia is about 15,000 tons, while the total demand for calcium metal in the world should be about 10,000 tons per year.
Before the 1980s, the production of calcium metal in China was mainly produced by electrolysis in several factories under the nuclear industry, and it was mainly used in the deoxidation and purification of nuclear fuel uranium. Since the early 1980s, China’s calcium metal began to be exported to Europe, America, Japan, South Korea, Australia and South America. Under the planned economic system at that time, China Atomic Energy Industry Corporation was the main exporter. Due to the limited domestic understanding of calcium metal and the relatively high price of calcium metal at that time, its application in China was also very limited.
The international demand for calcium metal has been relatively stable for many years, with a slight increase in some years, and the total demand has not changed much. Since the role of calcium metal in many application fields can also be replaced by using calcium-silicon alloys and magnesium metals, some foreign customers will turn to calcium-silicon alloys or metals when they feel that the price of calcium metal is high. Magnesium, etc., this has also adjusted the international market for calcium metal from one aspect, and it is also one of the reasons why the international market demand for calcium metal is relatively stable. Although demand for calcium metal has also emerged in India and South Africa in recent years, this demand may be due to the transfer of some steel companies in western countries to developing countries. As far as the world is concerned, the total demand for calcium metal There doesn’t seem to be a huge increase.
During the period from the end of 2004 to the second half of 2005 in China, some iron and steel enterprises began to import equipment for the production of steel sheets from abroad, and the production was mainly imported high-purity steel sheets before, so the demand for metal calcium cored wire has been increasing for a period of time. The sharp increase in the country, coupled with the abnormal production of calcium metal manufacturers in Russia during this period, led to a shortage of calcium metal for a period of time, and the short-term phenomenon that the price of calcium metal rose abnormally and the supply of calcium metal was in short supply. Under such circumstances, some magnesium metal factories that had stopped production due to price and environmental protection began to produce calcium metal by the aluminothermic reduction method. At one time, many manufacturers claimed to be able to produce calcium metal by the aluminothermic method.
Under the circumstances at that time, due to the short-term shortage of calcium metal and the abnormal production in Russia at that time, as well as the large difference between the prices of electrolytic calcium metal and aluminothermic calcium metal at that time, some foreign customers began to purchase some aluminothermic calcium metal. Calcium metal is used in some fields.
However, with the expansion of Baotou Metal Calcium Factory, a Chinese electrolysis manufacturer, at the end of 2005, and on the basis of the expansion, the price of calcium metal was constantly adjusted according to the international market conditions, and the production of Russian calcium metal manufacturers gradually returned to normal. The development of the industry tends to be rationalized due to the national macro-control, and the domestic demand for calcium-based cored wire has declined. As far as electrolytic calcium metal is concerned, the supply has begun to exceed demand, and the price of electrolytic calcium metal has gradually become more market-oriented and rational. At the same time, due to fluctuations in the prices of aluminum powder and coal, the raw materials for aluminothermic calcium metal in China, the cost of aluminothermic calcium metal has risen a lot, and the difference between the prices of electrolytic calcium metal and aluminothermic calcium metal has been greatly reduced. Under such circumstances, the interest and demand of foreign calcium metal buyers for Chinese thermite calcium metal has shown a downward trend. All these factors have resulted in many domestic thermite calcium metal plants having to suspend or close down, and only a few are maintaining production.
In addition, due to the gradual normalization of production by Russian calcium metal manufacturers, the competition in the international calcium metal market has become increasingly fierce. Contrary to the generally rising prices of most metals and tight supply, foreign customers are constantly lowering the price of calcium metal. The price of electrolytic calcium metal has fallen to levels close to those seen before the end of 2004.
Under such circumstances, foreign customers seem to be more inclined to buy electrolytic calcium metal and reduce the purchase of aluminothermic calcium metal whose price difference is getting smaller and smaller.
Calcium Metal Production Method
There are following problems in the production of aluminum thermal method calcium metal:
- Its cost is largely subject to changes in the price of coal and raw material aluminum powder;
- Its quality cannot yet reach the purity of calcium metal by electrolysis, but to meet the general requirements of foreign customers for the purity of calcium metal, it must go through further sublimation and purification, and the cost will increase greatly, so it is difficult to adjust the price gradually. Electrolytic calcium metal competes in the market.
- The production of calcium metal by the aluminothermic method generally has the same problem that caused some small magnesium metal factories to close down, that is, environmental pollution. As the country pays more and more attention to and controls environmental protection issues, if the production of calcium metal by the aluminothermic method does not make certain investment to solve environmental protection problems, it is likely to encounter the same ending as some small metal magnesium factories.