National Lime Association

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National Lime Association

NLA's mission is to represent, protect, and promote the nation's lime industry.

10/08/2026

With the MLB playoffs underway, we wanted to remind you that limestone is one of the materials used to mark baseball fields.

Finely ground limestone, which is primarily composed of calcium carbonate, is used in some field marking products to create the bright white lines along the foul lines, batter's box, and other areas of the baseball diamond. These markings help players and umpires clearly identify the boundaries of play.

Limestone is everywhere, even in America's favorite pastime.

09/29/2026

Last week, National Lime Association members gathered in Washington, D.C., for NLA’s Fall Board of Directors Meeting and Fly-In.

During meetings on Capitol Hill, NLA members discussed key regulatory issues affecting the U.S. lime industry, including the particulate matter (PM) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and EPA’s Lime Manufacturing NESHAP.

The fly-in provided an important opportunity for members to share the lime industry’s perspective directly with policymakers. This allows our team to build relationships, educate on the importance of the industry, and discuss how federal environmental regulations affect domestic lime manufacturing.

NLA would like to thank all of the Senators, Representatives, and staff who met with us: Senator Josh Hawley, Congressman Tim Burchett, Congressman Shri Thanedar, Congressman Roger Williams, Congressman Tony Wied, Congressman Glenn Thompson, Congressman Dusty Johnson, Congressman John Carter, Senator Dave McCormick, Senator Katie Britt, Congressman Scott Perry, Congresswoman Celeste Maloy, Senator John Husted, Congressman Paul Gosar, Congressman Gary Palmer, Congressman Troy Downing, Congressman Rick Crawford, Senator Ron Johnson, Congresswoman Carol Miller, Congresswoman Hariett Hageman, Congressman Jason Miller, Congressman Tom Tiffany, Senator Shelley Capito, Senator Cynthia Lummis, and Congresswoman Mariannette Miller- Meeks.

NLA would also like to thank our members and partners from Carmeuse, Lhoist, Graymont, Greer, Pete Lien & Sons, RHI Magnesita, Martin Marietta, US Lime, and North Star Strategies, LLC. This fly-in would not have been successful without your support.

09/14/2026

Lime plays an important role in water and wastewater treatment, where it is used to adjust pH and remove impurities and contaminants. This includes helping remove calcium and magnesium minerals, primarily carbonates as well as sulfates, to improve water quality.

Lime is also used in the treatment of industrial and mining wastewater, helping reduce pollutants before water is discharged back into the environment. These applications can support healthier waterways and help protect downstream ecosystems, including wetlands.

Lime continues to play an important role in water treatment and water quality management across a wide range of applications.

09/09/2026

Can limestone become limestone again?

In a way, yes. Limestone, or calcium carbonate, is heated during calcination to produce quicklime, or calcium oxide. When water is added, quicklime becomes hydrated lime, or calcium hydroxide.

Over time, hydrated lime can react with carbon dioxide in the air and form calcium carbonate again. This process is known as carbonation and is part of the natural lime cycle.

08/27/2026

NLA’s latest In the Limelight features Associate Member Barr Engineering Co., an engineering and environmental consulting firm serving the lime industry and other natural resource and infrastructure sectors.

Barr provides a broad range of services to lime producers, including environmental permitting and compliance, air quality services, mine planning, process and mechanical engineering, infrastructure design, and operational improvements. Barr has also been an active NLA member over the past decade, sharing technical expertise at NLA meetings and engaging with members on industry challenges and opportunities.

Learn more about Barr and its work with the lime industry in our latest In the Limelight feature: https://www.lime.org/resource/in-the-limelight-with-barr-engineering-co/

08/18/2026

Why is it called quicklime? In modern language, we associate the word “quick” with speed. However, the name dates back to Middle English, when “quick” meant living or alive. The term quicklime, recorded as early as the late 1300s, referred to the material’s reactive nature.

Quicklime, or calcium oxide, reacts with water to form hydrated lime and release heat. This reactivity is central to many of lime’s modern uses, including steel production, water and wastewater treatment, soil stabilization, and environmental emissions control. While the meaning of “quick” has changed over the centuries, the name has remained.

08/11/2026

With temperatures running high in Washington, D.C. and across the U.S. this summer, we have been thinking about heat and just how hot it gets during lime production.

Lime production requires temperatures of approximately 2,000°F. At these temperatures, limestone undergoes calcination, a process that converts calcium carbonate into quicklime, or calcium oxide, and carbon dioxide. The resulting quicklime is used in steelmaking, water treatment, construction, environmental applications, and other essential industrial processes.

08/06/2026

More than 2,000 years ago, the Romans used lime to build roads, bridges, aqueducts, and buildings that still stand today.

While the world has changed, lime continues to play an essential role in modern society. It is used to produce steel, treat drinking water and wastewater, stabilize soils for roads and construction, improve agricultural soils, and support environmental protection.

The applications have evolved, but the importance of lime has remained the same for thousands of years.

07/31/2026

NLA and SmartEPD are pleased to announce the Lime Product Category Rules (PCR) document is now published and available for download here: https://smartepd.com/pcr-library/.

This is the first North American PCR build specifically for lime – the foundational standard for developing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). This PCR document provides the rules for organizations preparing EPDs according to ISO 14025 and ISO 21930. The rules in this document serve as a subcategory PCR, known as a Part B PCR (“Part B”), to Smart EPD’s Part A PCR (“Part A”).

EPDs are a type of environmental label that discloses information about the environmental impacts associated with products, services, and systems from a life cycle perspective. The overall goal of an EPD is to communicate relevant, verified, and comparable information based on the science of life cycle assessment. EPDs are transparent information disclosures that facilitate informed decision-making and support comparisons among competing products, services, or systems that fulfil the same functions.

Whether you’re a lime producer, LCA practitioner, or Buy Clean-aligned procurer, this PCR supports better data, greater transparency, and faster progress toward low-carbon construction and industry.

NLA would like to thank SmartEPD, Trinity Consultants, our committee members, the public commenters, and our three expert reviewers who contributed to this effort.

07/28/2026

One of the first things many of us do every morning is brush our teeth. What most people don't realize is that lime chemistry helps make that possible.

Many toothpaste formulations use precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), a high-purity mineral produced by first converting limestone into lime, then reacting that lime with carbon dioxide to create an exceptionally pure form of calcium carbonate. This process allows manufacturers to carefully control the particle size and shape, producing a material that functions as a gentle abrasive to remove plaque and surface stains while remaining safe for tooth enamel.

Maintaining oral health helps prevent cavities and gum disease, and research has shown that poor oral health is associated with a higher risk of several chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Brushing with toothpaste is one of the simplest and most effective steps we can take to support our overall health.

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200 North Glebe Road, Suite 800
Arlington, VA
22203

Telephone

+17032435463

Website

http://lime.org/

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