Planning limestone resources for the Indian steel industry

Most of the two billion tonnes of limestone consumed annually is used either as the basic raw material in the manufacture of cement or as flux input in the metallurgical industries. Of the total flux, 90% is used by the steel industry. The cement industry needs limestone in a finely pulverized form, whereas the steel industry uses it in lump form, with the lumps not less than 12 mm in size. The exploitation of limestone as flux for the steel industry must be scientifically planned. This article covers the methodology of planning, incorporating the study of the detailed status of the resource inventory, demand for limestone, exploration of new deposits, and calculating and manipulating the costs of production, transport and development of each project to match the demand pattern of steel plants. A computer was used for the optimization of supplies and their selection on planning horizons.