Soda lime is one of the chemical compounds widely used in different industries as well as in medical and environmental fields. Soda lime has great importance as a flux in the manufacture of glass and ceramics as well as in other chemical processes.

Composition and Chemical Formula

Soda lime is a compound mainly of sodium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide. Depending on its use, it may also include some amounts of calcium oxide, sodium carbonate or potassium hydroxide. The simplest composition of soda lime used commonly may consist of sodium oxide and calcium oxide in granulated form. This composition makes the soda lime to selectively capture carbon dioxide to be used in industries and for medical use.

Properties of Soda Lime

Soda lime exhibits several important properties that make it useful in different fields:

• Alkaline Nature: Soda lime contains sodium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide particles, thus, it has an alkaline nature. It can neutralize acidic gases like CO₂ thereby making it useful in gas scrubbers and respiratory systems.

• Hygroscopic: The main disadvantage of using soda lime is that it reacts with water from the air which is why soda lime should be stored in air tight containers to maintain its quality.

• Non-reactivity: Soda lime is an incombustible material and does not undergo a chemical reaction under normal working condition. It can therefore be most beneficial in healthcare facilities.

• Single-use: Even though soda lime is very effective for the absorption of CO₂, it is not reusable.

• Odor: Soda lime has a characteristic smell which is not normally toxic but becomes conspicuous when used in large quantities.

Functions of Soda Lime

It is well known that the principal purpose of using soda lime is its capacity for CO {2} absorption. The soda lime removes CO₂ from the air by reacting with the alkaline compounds in order to form stable carbonates. This reaction is important especially in devices such as anesthesia that requires removal of CO₂ from the air expelled from the patient’s lungs during surgery.

In diving and aviation, it is a necessity in oxygen regeneration systems. It guarantees that the air supply is free from carbon dioxide, which makes divers and aircrew members to breathe clean oxygen for relatively longer time.

Uses of Soda Lime

Soda lime has a broad range of uses beyond medical applications:

• Glass and Ceramics Production: Soda lime is used extensively in the production of glass especially the production of a super-ordinate or very ‘tough; glass called the borosilicate glass which is a transparent non-reactive glass and is capable of withstanding thermal shockage. It has the benefit of reducing the melting point of glass so that it becomes easier to produce.

• Water and Air Purification: Soda lime in industries is applied in water treatment plants and air-conditioning systems to scrub CO₂ and other gases/liquids of impurities.

• Chemical Industry: Soda lime’s main application is in producing several chemical compounds It is used in reactions where an agent is needed to react with acid or absorb gases.

• Medical Applications: Soda lime is well known for its application in scrubbing CO₂ from circulating inhaled air during surgeries within anesthesia machines. Its effectiveness in allowing the absorption of CO2 guarantees the patient’s breathing circuit to be clear as well as safe.

Manufacturers of Soda Lime

There are many soda lime manufacturers all over the world, and a number of them with factories in/close to India include J. Mitra & Bros which is one of the leading manufacturers of medical and industrial quality soda lime. J. Mitra & Bros gains its reputation for their professional ability of producing credible and efficient absorptive products for medical use.