Calcium carbonate (chemical formula: CaCO₃) is a non-toxic, odorless, and tasteless inorganic compound. It is also known as limestone, calcite, marble, or chalk.
As one of the most common minerals on earth, it exists widely in rocks (such as limestone and marble) and in biological skeletons and shells. Calcium carbonate is divided into three main categories: precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), ground calcium carbonate (GCC), and nano calcium carbonate (NPCC). Let’s look at their differences and how to choose the right one.
Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC)
- Process: Produced by calcining limestone, slaking to form lime milk, then introducing CO₂ gas to precipitate.
- Particle morphology: Regular crystals (spindle, cubic, needle shapes) with uniform size distribution.
- Particle size range: Fine, usually micron-scale (1–3 μm).
- Surface area: Medium.
- Key features: High purity, uniform size, lower oil absorption value.
Ground Calcium Carbonate (GCC)
- Process: Produced from natural minerals (calcite, marble, etc.) by crushing, grinding, and classification.
- Particle morphology: Irregular fragments, multi-angular, with broad size distribution.
- Particle size range: Coarser, usually micron-scale (325–2500 mesh, ~45–5 μm).
- Surface area: Small.
- Key features: Low cost, low processing energy consumption, stable properties.
Nano Calcium Carbonate (NPCC)
- Process: Based on PCC, with controlled crystallization, crystal growth agents, and surface treatments.
- Particle morphology: More regular crystals, reaching nano size (1–100 nm), often agglomerated to micron particles.
- Particle size range: Very fine.
- Surface area: Very large.
- Key features: Surface effect, nanoscale effect, functional performance; requires surface treatment to prevent agglomeration.
How to Choose?
Plastics Industry
- GCC: Cheap filler to increase volume and reduce cost. Common in PVC pipes, flooring, and boards. Reduces impact and tensile strength.
- PCC: Functional filler for higher-grade PVC profiles, pipes, synthetic leather, and shoes. Improves gloss, stability, rigidity.
- NPCC: Functional enhancer for automotive plastics, engineering plastics, sealing strips. Improves toughness, aging resistance, reinforcement.
Paper Industry
- GCC: Common filler and coating for cultural paper, mid-low grade coated paper. Improves whiteness, opacity, reduces cost.
- PCC: Premium filler and coating for high-grade coated paper, digital photo paper. Enhances smoothness, gloss, printability.
- NPCC: Special functional additive for specialty papers needing high gloss, opacity, or barrier properties.
Coatings & Paints Industry
- GCC: Extender pigment in wall paints and primers. Increases film thickness, hiding power, reduces cost.
- PCC: Functional filler in high-grade paints. Improves gloss, smoothness, scrub resistance.
- NPCC: Functional additive in automotive coatings, anti-corrosion paints, UV coatings. Provides thixotropy, wear resistance, anti-aging.
Rubber & Adhesives Industry
Rubber:
- GCC: Used in low-end products.
- PCC: Semi-reinforcing filler.
- NPCC: Key reinforcing filler in tires, tubes, high-grade rubber, improving tensile, tear strength, and wear resistance.
Adhesives & Sealants:
- PCC: Main filler for thickening, strengthening, and cost reduction.
- NPCC: Used in high-performance adhesives. Improves reinforcement, rheology, prevents sagging.
Epic Powder
Epic Powder provides advanced grinding, classification, and surface modification solutions for calcium carbonate. With equipment such as ball mills, pin mills, and three-roller modifiers, we help customers produce precipitated ground and nano calcium carbonate tailored to their industries. Our expertise ensures optimized performance in plastics, paper, coatings, and rubber applications.