Material
Quicklime
Answer in brief
Quicklime reacts with water, and the reaction gives off enough heat to boil it.
That single property drives everything: moisture in the silo, in the conveying air or on an operator's skin turns a handling task into an injury or a blocked vessel.
- Keep every part of the system dry, including the venting air.
- Protect operators against burns, not just against dust.
- Expect abrasion from the lump form and bridging from the ground form.
Reviewed October 21, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026
Handling challenges
Quicklime is one of the few bulk materials that can injure someone who simply gets it on damp skin.
Reactivity
Contact with water produces calcium hydroxide, heat and expansion.
In a silo this means a blocked, hard mass; on a person it means a deep burn that develops slowly.
- Dried venting and conveying air, with the dryer treated as critical equipment.
- Weatherproof filling connections and sealed silo tops.
- Immediate washing facilities and dust-tight protective clothing at every manual point.
Flow behavior
Lump quicklime flows freely and abrades; ground quicklime is cohesive and bridges.
Plants handling both need outlets and discharge aids sized for the ground material and wear protection sized for the lump.
Dust control
The dust is strongly alkaline and damages eyes and airways.
Enclosed transfer, extraction at loading and bag emptying and well-maintained filters are the practical controls.
Dosing into a process
Flue gas treatment and water treatment need a stable rate from a cohesive, reactive powder.
Loss-in-weight feeding with a conditioned, agitated inlet and a short residence time gives repeatable dosing.
What to establish before buying equipment
- Form and particle size on delivery, lump or ground.
- Reactivity grade, which affects both heat release and flow.
- Air dryness available for venting and conveying.
- Emergency washing and first aid provision at every manual interface.
Material behavior
- Flowability
- Lump free flowing, ground form cohesive
- Abrasiveness
- High in lump form
- Cohesiveness
- Moderate to high when ground
- Moisture behavior
- Reacts exothermically with water and expands
Partner with powderbulkvideos.com
Put a relevant technical solution in this decision path.
Connect your company and video evidence with clearly labelled visibility where engineers evaluate this material, application, industry or product.
Related content
Continue exploring
Move from this page to the companies, videos and technical topics that add useful context.
Companies
Videos
Laidig Systems
Laidig Systems: Applications – Powder and Bulk Solids
Laidig Systems designs and builds custom storage and reclaim systems that automate the unloading of dry bulk materials. The company focuses on materials with poor flow characteristics and delivers reclaimers for flat- and cone-bottom structures in industries such as food processing, biomass, power, cement, and mining.
Total reach: 24,452
WAMGROUP
Tubular Screw Conveyors and Feeders
WAMGROUP presents enclosed tubular screw conveyors and feeders used to transfer or meter powders and bulk solids.