Simultaneous production of magnesium carbonate and calcium carbonate from dolomites and dolomitic limestones

By use of a recarbonation process, it is possible to separate magnesium carbonate and calcium carbonate from dolomites/dolomitic limestones. Magnesium carbonate can be used for manufacturing basic refractories and magnesium chemicals; the portion rich in calcium carbonate can be used for cement manufacture if the MgO content is below 3%. In this paper the process developed for the purpose and the results of bench scale tests are reported. The results indicate that, under optimum conditions, both objectives can be fulfilled by the recarbonation process.