Experimental design approach to calcium carbonate precipitation in a semicontinuous process

The production of precipitated calcium carbonate, PCC, by a semicontinuous process of slaked lime carbonation was performed in a bench-scale chemical reactor, fully controlled by means of custom built electronics and software for the personal computer. Calcite crystals, with different characteristic morphologies (rhombohedral, truncated prismatic, scalenohedral, spheroidal or chain-like agglomerates) were produced by varying a range of process parameters, like temperature, supersaturation, gas mixture flow rate, stirring rate and mass concentration of Ca(OH)₂ suspension. In order to identify the effects of the chosen process parameters on the PCC morphology and on the related specific surface area, as well as on the extent of CO₂ conversion, an empirical approach based on the experimental design techniques was employed. A multiple correlation analysis of the obtained data suggests that temperature and conductivity significantly influence the PCC morphology, while CO₂ conversion is principally influenced by stirring rate, conductivity and gas mixture flow rate.