Study on the Effect of Cations on Morphology in the Preparation of Vaterite Calcium Carbonate from Dolomite

In this paper, the effect of trace components in dolomite on the morphology of vaterite calcium carbonate is studied in the CaCl₂-NH₃-CO₂ system, with a focus on the effect of cations (Mg²⁺, Fe³⁺, Si⁴⁺, and Al³⁺) in the solution. Ca²⁺, NH₄⁺, Mg²⁺, Fe³⁺, Si⁴⁺, and Al³⁺ in the digestion solution are proportionally prepared into a solution by analyzing the calcium rich digestion solution which is obtained by digesting dolomite with ammonium chloride solution. Under the optimal conditions, NH₃ is introduced at a rate of 0.5 L min⁻¹ for 1 h, CO₂ is introduced at a rate of 0.5 L min⁻¹ for 1 h and rotation speed of 500 r min⁻¹ to prepare the vaterite calcium carbonate. The results show that the addition of Mg²⁺, Fe³⁺, Si⁴⁺, and Al³⁺ can promote the growth of vaterite calcium carbonate. Among them, adding Mg²⁺ and Si⁴⁺ can promote the dispersion of vaterite, Fe³⁺ and Al³⁺ can cause agglomeration of vaterite. Material Studio software is used to predict the crystal morphology of vaterite calcium carbonate under ideal conditions, and the calculation results are basically consistent with the experimental results.