Liquid Lime

Liquid lime is a high-performance alkaline material developed for controlled neutralisation and treatment processes in water, wastewater and environmental management systems. As one of the UK’s largest specialist liquid lime manufacturers, Buxton Lime produces precision-engineered liquid lime formulations designed for reliable dosing, rapid chemical reactivity and safe handling in large-scale treatment operations.

By supplying lime in liquid suspension form, treatment facilities are able to achieve accurate pH control, efficient contaminant reduction and consistent processing performance while avoiding the dust and handling challenges associated with dry lime products.

View our liquid lime products

Kalic Liquid Lime

Kalic Liquid Lime

Kalic HS Liquid Lime

Kalic HS Liquid Lime

Kalic HSD Liquid Lime

Kalic HSD Liquid Lime

What is liquid lime?

Liquid lime is a pumpable suspension of calcium hydroxide dispersed in water. It is typically produced using high-purity calcium hydroxide and is formulated to provide fast, predictable alkalinity when introduced into treatment systems.

Unlike powdered lime, which must be mechanically conveyed and can release airborne particles, liquid lime is delivered as a stable slurry. This allows operators to transfer, meter and dose the material through enclosed systems, improving safety, cleanliness and precision.

The extremely fine particle size achieved during manufacturing increases the material’s reactive surface area. This enables faster neutralisation of acidic streams and improves chemical efficiency in continuous treatment processes.

How liquid lime is manufactured

How liquid lime is manufactured

Liquid lime manufacturing is a controlled industrial process that ensures chemical purity, suspension stability and consistent reactivity. Buxton Lime uses advanced processing systems and stringent quality procedures to produce reliable treatment-grade products.

Production begins with the careful selection of high-purity quicklime. Consistent mineral composition is essential to ensure predictable alkalinity and treatment performance.

High-purity quicklime is reacted with water under controlled conditions to produce a stable milk of lime slurry. Achieving a very small particle size is critical, as it determines how quickly the lime will react during neutralisation.

Continuous agitation maintains an even dispersion of particles and prevents settlement.

Each batch undergoes comprehensive quality testing to verify particle size distribution, solids content, density, viscosity, pH performance and suspension stability. This ensures that customers receive a reliable and dependable product that performs consistently under operational conditions.

Liquid lime applications in water and wastewater treatment

Liquid lime plays a critical role in modern water and wastewater treatment systems where controlled alkalinity is essential for regulatory compliance and process efficiency.

Drinking water treatment

Water treatment facilities rely on accurate pH control to ensure water quality and protect distribution infrastructure. Liquid lime is used to neutralise acidic water supplies, reducing pipeline corrosion and improving the effectiveness of downstream filtration and disinfection processes. Its liquid form enables precise metering via automated dosing systems, ensuring a consistent chemical balance without the manual handling of materials.

Wastewater treatment

In wastewater treatment plants, liquid lime is widely used to adjust pH levels during primary and secondary treatment stages. Neutralisation helps optimise biological digestion processes and improves the removal of suspended solids and dissolved contaminants. Accurate dosing supports efficient clarification, enhances treatment reliability and helps facilities meet strict environmental discharge standards.

Industrial effluent neutralisation

Many industrial processes generate acidic waste streams that must be treated before discharge or reuse. Liquid lime provides rapid and predictable neutralisation, helping operators stabilise effluent chemistry and protect treatment infrastructure. Its pumpable nature makes it ideal for integration into continuous processing systems where precise chemical control is essential.

Odour control and pathogen reduction

The strong alkalinity of liquid lime helps suppress odours and reduce harmful microorganisms in treatment environments. Maintaining elevated pH conditions can inhibit bacterial activity that contributes to unpleasant emissions, improving working conditions and environmental performance.

Sewage sludge treatment and stabilisation

Sewage sludge management is one of the most important environmental applications of liquid lime. Treatment facilities use alkaline stabilisation processes to improve sludge safety, handling and disposal options.

Liquid lime is added to sludge to raise pH levels, creating conditions that inhibit pathogen survival and reduce biological activity. This stabilisation process helps minimise health risks and supports compliance with environmental regulations governing sludge reuse and disposal.

The treatment also improves dewatering efficiency, making sludge easier to process and transport. By enhancing solids separation, liquid lime reduces overall waste volume and lowers logistics costs.

In addition, alkaline treatment can reduce odours generated during storage and handling, improving site safety and operational conditions for plant personnel.

Liquid lime products manufactured by Buxton Lime

Buxton Lime’s range of Liquid Lime products are marketed under the brand name Kalic.

Kalic Liquid Lime is a “milk of lime” (suspension of calcium hydroxide). Unlike conventional milks of lime, it is highly stable in suspension and very fast reacting, making it easy and cost-effective to store and use. It can be used as a substitute in a variety of “liquid caustic soda” applications and for alkali handling problems.

Kalic Liquid Lime

Kalic liquid lime is a stable liquid lime with consistent, easy handling characteristics and a fine and consistent particle size. It is a readymade, stable suspension of calcium hydroxide in water (milk of lime). With a typical solids concentration of 18% w/w and a particle size of approx. 1 micron, it contains no additives or additions and can be handled as a liquid, eliminating the difficulties associated with powders and slurries.

Kalic HS Liquid Lime

A fast-acting, ready-to-use, high-solids suspension (45% solids) with exceptionally low viscosity and high stability, Kalic HS liquid lime is the product of choice for alkali treatment of industrial effluent, sludge, and wastewater systems.

Kalic HS liquid lime is the ultimate alkali treatment for effluent and wastewater systems. It is chemically stabilised and offers low-controlled viscosity to enable easy, consistent handling. It is a readymade, stable suspension of calcium hydroxide in water (milk of lime), with a typical solids concentration of 45% w/w.

Kalic Liquid Lime is available in bulk, IBC’s, as well as pump delivery.

Properties of liquid lime

Properties of liquid lime

Liquid lime offers a combination of chemical efficiency and operational practicality that makes it particularly suited to treatment environments.

Its high alkalinity enables rapid neutralisation of acidic solutions, while the fine particle structure ensures efficient chemical reaction and consistent performance. The pre-mixed slurry format provides uniform dispersion, preventing inconsistent treatment results.

Because liquid lime is handled within enclosed systems, dust emissions are significantly reduced compared with powdered materials. This improves plant cleanliness, enhances operator safety and minimises material loss.

The pumpable consistency allows seamless integration into automated dosing equipment, supporting accurate chemical control and reducing manual handling. Stable suspension properties ensure dependable storage performance and consistent treatment capability over time.

How is Hydrated Lime manufactured?

Why choose Buxton Lime as your liquid lime manufacturer

Buxton Lime combines mineral expertise with advanced production technology. Modern facilities, rigorous quality control, and specialist logistics capabilities ensure a reliable supply to utilities, environmental contractors, and industrial operators across the UK.

Technical teams work closely with customers to support specification development, dosing optimisation and compliance requirements. The company’s capability to deliver bespoke formulations further enables complex treatment processes to operate efficiently and reliably.

Reliable supply for critical treatment infrastructure

Reliable supply for critical treatment infrastructure

Water utilities, wastewater operators and environmental service providers depend on consistent chemical performance to maintain regulatory compliance and operational efficiency. Buxton Lime maintains strict production standards and resilient supply chains to ensure uninterrupted delivery for essential treatment processes.

This uncompromising approach to quality and supply assurance makes Buxton Lime the leading partner to the UK water and environmental treatment sectors.

Speak to our liquid lime specialists

Our specialist advisors can provide guidance on product selection, plant integration and logistics planning to ensure optimal treatment performance.

Contact Buxton Lime to discuss your operational requirements and arrange a tailored liquid lime supply solution.

Frequently asked questions

Liquid lime is a water-based suspension of calcium compounds, typically calcium hydroxide, used to provide controlled alkalinity in treatment processes. It is supplied as a stable slurry that can be pumped, stored and dosed safely within enclosed systems.

Powdered lime is delivered as a dry material that can create dust during handling and requires mechanical conveying systems. Liquid lime is pre-mixed with water, allowing it to be pumped and metered directly into treatment processes. This reduces dust emissions, improves safety and enables more accurate chemical dosing.

Liquid lime is widely used in drinking water treatment, wastewater processing, industrial effluent neutralisation and sewage sludge stabilisation. It is primarily applied to control pH levels, support contaminant removal and improve treatment efficiency.

Water treatment facilities use liquid lime to adjust pH levels, reduce water acidity and protect infrastructure from corrosion. Precise alkalinity control also improves the effectiveness of filtration and disinfection processes, helping plants maintain regulatory water quality standards.

In wastewater treatment systems, liquid lime is used to neutralise acidic streams and maintain optimal pH conditions for biological and chemical processes. Proper pH control improves sedimentation, supports contaminant removal and enhances overall treatment reliability.

Liquid lime is used to stabilise sewage sludge by raising its pH to levels that inhibit pathogen survival and biological activity. This treatment improves sludge safety, reduces odours and enhances dewatering efficiency, making the material easier to handle, transport and dispose of.

Liquid lime reacts rapidly due to its fine particle size, which increases surface area and speeds up chemical neutralisation. Reaction times vary depending on system conditions, but the liquid format allows immediate dispersion and fast alkalinity release.

pipelines or processing units. This allows operators to maintain accurate chemical control and consistent treatment performance.

Key advantages include precise dosing, rapid neutralisation, reduced dust emissions, safer handling, consistent dispersion and compatibility with automated treatment systems. Its liquid form also simplifies storage and transfer within industrial environments.

Liquid lime suspensions are formulated to maintain stability during storage and transport. Some settlement may occur over time, but mixing systems within storage tanks typically restore uniform consistency before use.

Liquid lime is safer to handle than powdered lime because it produces minimal airborne dust. However, it remains an alkaline substance, so appropriate protective equipment such as gloves and eye protection should be used during handling and maintenance.

Liquid lime is usually delivered in sealed bulk tankers and transferred into on-site storage tanks. It can then be pumped through closed systems directly to dosing equipment, minimising handling risks and contamination.

Shelf life depends on formulation and storage conditions. When stored in appropriate tanks with periodic agitation, liquid lime can remain stable and effective for extended operational periods.

Liquid lime formulations can be adjusted to suit specific plant requirements, including variations in solids concentration, viscosity and reactivity. This ensures compatibility with dosing equipment and treatment objectives.

Buxton Lime manufactures high-purity liquid lime products using controlled production processes that ensure consistent quality and reliable chemical performance. The company supplies treatment-grade formulations supported by technical expertise and dependable bulk delivery across the UK.

Contact us