calcinar

Calcinar is a verb meaning to subject a material to calcination, a thermal treatment that raises the temperature of a substance to drive off volatile components, such as moisture, water of crystallization, or carbon dioxide. In English, the process is typically described as calcining or calcining, while in Spanish the related verb is calcinar and the noun calcination. The term encompasses a range of high-temperature reactions that do not involve melting.

Calcination is usually performed at temperatures that decompose hydrates or carbonates or that remove organic matter, often in the absence or limited presence of air. Typical conditions involve controlled heating in a furnace or kiln, at hundreds to about a thousand degrees Celsius, depending on the material and the desired chemical change. A key characteristic is that the solid generally remains solid rather than fusing into a liquid.

Common applications include the production of lime from limestone (calcium carbonate → calcium oxide + carbon dioxide) at around 900°C, which is a foundational step in cement and various chemical processes. Calcination also converts gypsum to plaster of Paris by removing part of its water content, and it prepares various ores and minerals by removing moisture or organic residues before further processing. In archaeology and materials science, calcination is used to study thermal stability or to produce oxide forms from precursor materials.

Calcination differs from roasting (which implies oxidation in air) and from sintering (which focuses on densification without decomposition). It is energy-intensive and a notable source of CO2 emissions in some industrial contexts, prompting attention to efficiency and alternative technologies.