Calcium Carbide 

Calcium carbide is the premier slag conditioner and desulfurizer for steel; it produces acetylene gas - a precursor to many specialty chemicals and an invaluable tool for construction; and it is critical for removing pollutants from the environment. The chemical energy provided by calcium carbide has fueled industrial innovation, making it an important raw material for a wide range of basic industrial needs.

In the production process, the raw materials lime and coke are mixed and heated to over 2000 degrees Celsius. The reaction is carried out in our low shaft furnace using an electric arc, which is very energy intensive.
In metallurgy, our customers value calcium carbide for its ability to treat alkaline slags and reduce dissolved metals. Acetylene produced in contact with water is favored for its very high welding temperatures. No other hydrocarbon can achieve such high localized welding temperatures.

Advantages

High cost saving potential
Minimal and high sulfur content in slag
Recovery of chromium, manganese, silicon and iron from slag
Increased purity due to gaseous deoxidation products

Applications of calcium carbide

Desulphurization (direct)
In modern steelmaking operations, the demand for low-sulfur steels in modern continuous casting operations and special applications has increased the attractiveness of calcium carbide as a desulfurizer for molten iron.

Slag conditioning
Carbide is an important tool for removing unwanted iron oxides from the slag brought into the ladle during the steel out process. When the coarser carbide is added to the liquid metal stream or to the ladle after steel is discharged, it reacts with the oxides and recovers iron and expensive alloys that would otherwise be lost. In addition, if left untreated, these oxides can interfere with downstream steel refining operations by inhibiting desulfurization, oxidizing (“discoloring”) alloy additions, and eroding refractory materials.

Furnace Injection
Carbide has the unique ability to react only with metal oxides without adversely affecting the chemistry of the steel, thus adding significant energy to the process. In an electric arc furnace (EAF), the energy generated during oxide reduction is accompanied by the production of heated lime particles and CO gas, which helps to retain the heat generated while increasing the foaming capacity of the EAF slag.
In addition, since most of the slag produced in an EAF is not discharged into the ladle, all of the well-known advantages of oxide reduction and alloy recovery in ladle metallurgy can be utilized by the EAF on a larger scale.
The result is a more energy-efficient, faster and more productive electric arc furnace process with higher alloy recovery.

Chemical acetylene
Although calcium carbide can be used directly as a process material, its primary use and perhaps greatest versatility is realized when this rock-like substance reacts with water to form acetylene and calcium hydroxide. The unique chemistry of the three-bonded carbon in the acetylene molecule permits a variety of useful chemical reactions to form intermediates used in the manufacture of various chemical derivatives.

Cutting and Welding
Using a device called a generator, calcium carbide undergoes a controlled reaction with water to convert to acetylene. Acetylene (C2H2) is a very useful hydrocarbon because energy is locked up in the triple bond between two carbon atoms. This energy is then released and used in different ways by our customers for various industrial purposes.

Environmental Engineering
Calcium hydroxide is a by-product of the acetylene generation process and is very useful in various industrial applications. Probably the best-known use of our calcium hydroxide is for purifying flue gases produced by fossil fuel power plants to remove sulfur compounds and prevent them from being released into the air.

Calcium Carbide Manufacturing Company

Wanding produces very good quality calcium carbide with an average gas yield of 300 liters per kilogram of calcium carbide.

The product is packed in containers (various types) or in 100 kg drums. In order to make the best use of shipping space, 9 drums can be placed on a pallet, which can then be loaded onto a truck or sea container to save space. We also accept customized packaging.