Using Limestone

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  • Created by: Lina
  • Created on: 01-04-13 13:57

Using Limestone

Advantages

  • Provides things people want- like houses and roads. Chemicals used in making dyes, paints and medicines also come from limestone.
  • Limestone products are used to neutralise acidic soil, acidity in lakes and rivers caused by acid rain, sulfur dioxide in power station chimneys.
  • Provides jobs for people and brings more money to the local economy. This leads to local improvements in transport, roads, recreation facilities and health.
  • Once quarrying is complete, landscaping and restoration of the area is normally required as part of the planning permission.
  • Limestone is widely available and is cheaper than granite or marble. It's also a fairly easy rock to cut.
  • Limestone looks attractive.
  • Concrete can be poured into moulds to make blocks or panels that can be joined together. It's a very quick and cheap way of constructing buildings.
  • Limestone products don't rot when they get wet like wood does.
  • Limestone products can't be gnawed away by insects or water.
  • Limestone products are fire-resistant.
  • Concrete doesn't corrode like lots of metals do.

Disadvantages

  • Makes huge ugly holes which permanently change the landscape.
  • Quarrying processes, like blasting rocks apart with explosives, makes lots of noise and dust in quiet, scenic areas.
  • Quarrying destroys the habitats of animals and birds.
  • The limestone needs to be transported away from the quarry- usually in lorries, which causes more noise and pollution.
  • Waste materials produce unsightly tips.
  • Cement factories make a lot of dust, which causes breathing problems for people.
  • Energy is needed to produce cement and quicklime. The energy is likely to come from burning fossil fuels, which causes pollution, too.
  • Limestone is more hard-wearing than marble.
  • Concrete is hideously unattractive.
  • Concrete has a low tensile strength and can crack. But it can be reinforced with steel bars and it'll be much stronger.

Evaluation

Limestone and its products are used as building materials. In some cases they are perfect for the job, but in some cases they're a bit of a compromise. 

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