Abstract
Limestone and dolostone are used in industries depending on their physicochemical characteristics. They can be used in construction, agricultural, environmental industries and especially in ironmaking and steelmaking as flux. Dolomite is also used in the production of refractory materials. As the properties of products are significantly affected by physicochemical specifications of limestone or dolomite, the characterisation of those materials is important. This study was initiated to analyse the chemical, decrepitation, and degradation properties of dolomite and limestone samples to determine their suitability as flux. Since the degradation indices were found different for the chemically similar samples, the study was expanded to determine the reason. Complete physicochemical and thermal characterisation was performed via XRF, XRD, TG, FTIR, and thin section microscopic analyses. Although two dolomite samples were mineralogically similar, thermal behaviours were determined different. Microscopic analyses results showed that the crystal structures/sizes affect the thermal behaviour and degradation index of carbonate samples.
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