No need to argue about it too long: the most beautiful (sjoenste in Limburgian) calcite pellets come from South Limburg – no pellet is whiter. This is due to the area’s relatively pure groundwater, which is poor in organic matter and metals, like iron and manganese. As a result, the crystal structure is not affected and the calcite keeps its natural, white colour. Moreover WML was the first water company to stop using red garnet sand for its seeding, but also pure calcite, so that the nuclei of the pellets are also white.
This transition opened the doors to a number of new applications, such as in paper, plastics, building materials, very high grade white glass and paint. These pellets are purer than (quarry) lime, and are actually pure enough to replace lime in animal feed – simply as a source of calcium, for example, but also as a nutrient carrier or filler in a (biological) feed product.
Applications in animal feed are subject to strict requirements regarding the material’s hygiene and traceability. Producers, suppliers, intermediaries and transporters: each link in the chain needs to have a so-called GMP+ certificate (Good Manufacturing Practices). This is not a legal obligation, but the certificate has become quite commonplace and effectively constitutes a ‘license to operate’ in the sector.
WML has started the procedure to acquire the certificate in a short period of time, so that during the course of this year we’ll be able to supply this very high-quality calcite to the animal feed industry. This calcite will thus even become super-special…