Calcium ranks as the fifth most abundant element by mass in the Earth’s crust and is the third most common metal, following iron and aluminum(| Material Insights, n.d.).
Calcium mining involves extracting calcium-rich minerals primarily limestone, chalk, and marble which are abundant in the Earth’s crust. The process begins with locating suitable deposits, followed by drilling and blasting to fragment the rock(Calcium Carbonate Manufacturing Process and Equipment, n.d.).
After selection, calcium-rich material is crushed and ground into fine powder to achieve uniform particle size. It then undergoes purification through methods like washing or chemical treatment to remove impurities(Mining, 2025).
After wards, high-purity limestone (≥98% CaCO₃) is first calcined at 1000°C to produce calcium oxide, which is then mixed with aluminum powder and heated to trigger the reduction reaction, forming calcium metal and calcium aluminate. The calcium is separated from the slag by vacuum distillation and condensed in molds. High-purity calcium (>99.9%) can also be obtained by redistillation, while calcium alloys are produced through methods like direct alloying or chemical reduction(The Occurrence and Preparation of Calcium_Chemicalbook, n.d.).
Reference:
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| Material Insights. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2025, from https://www.material-insights.org/calcium
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Calcium Carbonate Manufacturing Process and Equipment. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2025, from https://blog.praterindustries.com/calcium-carbonate-manufacturing-process-and-equipment
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Mining. (2025, February 10). Calcium Carbonate Manufacturing: Step-by-Step Process. https://sudarshangroup.com/how-is-calcium-carbonate-manufactured-2/
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The occurrence and preparation of Calcium_Chemicalbook. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2025, from https://www.chemicalbook.com/article/the-occurrence-and-preparation-of-calcium.htm
