Four Canadian limestoness-Cadomin, Havelock, Kelly Rock, and Graymonts-were investigated for their reactivation properties after long-term sulfation. Each limestone was initially sulfated with 1% SO2 at 850 degrees C in a tube furnace for a relatively long time (about 16 h), to achieve an effectively maximally sulfated sample. The samples were subsequently hydrated with liquid water and steam at various conditions to reactivate the unreacted CaO. The hydrated samples were resulfated in a thermogravimetric analyzer for 90 min to evaluate the effect of hydration on the resulfation step. All four samples were significantly reactivated by steam hydration, which was much more effective than was hydration with liquid water, and the overall calcium utilization increased to 80-90% after reactivation, compared to 25-45% typical before reactivation. A scanning electron microscope was used to analyze Cadomin and Havelock samples, and both were uniformly sulfated before hydration. This work indicated that the uniformly sulfated samples could be reactivated given suitable hydration conditions.