What is CaCO3?
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M$3 Answers
Calcium carbonate also occurs as a natural water deposit in water that has high levels of calcium bicarbonate (also called hard water). Calcium carbonate forms from this soluble form of calcium under various conditions, including evaporation and on heating elements for hot water systems. I have seen calcium carbonate deposits from hard water used in irrigation for cooling of fruit trees, where it accumulates as a crust on the trees and fruits, making the fruits difficult to market. These deposits, also called lime, also occur in evaporative cooling systems that are used in many industries.
personal experience as a chemist and water treatment specialist.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/uses-of-calcium-carbonate.html
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M$One of the interesting properties of calcium carbonate in the form of limestone and marble is that it is a chemically weak rock. That is, it is easily dissolved by weak acids. A common field test for limestone and marble is to drop dilute hydrochloric acid on the rock and watch for a reaction as the rock buffers the acidity of the acid. This is why gravestones are not usually made out of marble anymore. The ones from 100 years ago in areas that experience a lot of rain are difficult to read because they have been dissolved by naturally acidic rain water or acid rain.This property also leads to cave and cavern formation which is one of nature's spectacular wonders. Rock dissolved by slightly acidic waters can create caves thousands of feet deep with hundreds of miles of passage. Precipitation of calcium carbonate saturated waters in caves can also create beautiful calcite formations.
Of course, calcium carbonate has many industrial uses as well. Limestone is an important stone for building road bases and marble is an important dimension stone that is quarried and cut for making buildings, statues, floors, counters, etc. Limestone can also be pulverized and used as agricultural lime to increase the pH of acidic soils, and is the primary ingredient in cement, which was probably one of the most important advances in building science.
(photo 1: calcium carbonate formations in Lechuguilla Caverns, New Mexico)
(photo 2: cave pearls- rocks coated in calcium carbonate in Lechuguilla Caverns, New Mexico)
(photo 3: calcium carbonate in the form of cave bacon)
http://www.physicspost.com/science-article-216.html
I'm a geologist and have done a lot of caving.
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M$
Wow. That is cool! I like caves. I think I have a lot of calcium carbonate in my well water. It is causing a problem for my plumbing fixtures, but I am not sure if it is actually a health hazard.
If you have a lot of white scale on pots and fixtures, its probably precipitate from hard water. Its harmless, but a pain to clean. I use white vinegar to dissolve it off of pots. You can have it tested by a lab for mineral content. If your water comes from a municipal water source, the mineral analysis report is public domain and you can request a copy.
Thanks @bernd! I do have very hard water. I use well water, and I have a very shallow well. There is also a lot of limestone in the area. I know that the mineral content in the water is very high, and I am thinking about installing a water softener on the line for the sheer sake of reducing the cost of replacing plumbing fixtures, washing machines, and hot water tanks. I still have to replace the well pump and the pressure tank about once every 5-7 years, and it is quite a hassle. In Oklahoma, it costs $125 to send your well water in to the state environmental department for testing. For this reason, I have invested in my own testing kits, which can be purchased for a fraction of the cost. Home testing kits for well water can be found for about $20-40 online, and there is no waiting for test results. While having the water tested for mineral content and pH is one thing, there are other precipitates in well water that can cause a problem. When you use well water, you are responsible for ensuring that your drinking water is safe, and I think it is a good idea that everyone with well water learn to test their own water at home. (You never know what your neighbors may be pouring into the ground water. In places where well water is used, septic tanks are also common. Septic tank leaks near ground water sources can pose a serious health hazard for rural families. Where I live, agricultural runoff and leaking oil and gas pipelines can also cause problems that may go unrecognized for months or even years.)
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M$
@coltech88, you're my favorite water treatment expert. I once worked in an industrial water treatment plant for a metal plating facility, but I don't think I really had an in-depth understanding of the chemical processes that took place there. I just ran the tests and checked for floc. Floc was kind of pretty at times, and I developed an infatuation with polymer.