|
|
|
|
| |
Overview
Soda ash in your life
It would be hard to go anywhere in today's world without being close to a product produced with or containing soda ash, because soda ash, known chemically as sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), is used virtually everywhere and has been a key raw material for thousands of years.
The Egyptians, for instance, made glass containers by a method that involved
soda ash as early as 3,500 BC. The early Romans expanded its use beyond glass
as an ingredient in medicine and bread. And why is it called soda ash? Burned
seaweed ashes were an early source of sodium carbonate. It was often called soda
ash or simply, soda.
Today, soda ash is an essential ingredient in many familiar products, such as glass, soap, powdered detergent, paper, textiles and even food. In fact, it is such a basic material that government and commerce agencies apply soda ash production statistics to gauge the health of the economy.
Tata Chemicals North America makes a high quality soda ash that is in demand
by several industries in the US as well as the export market. All of the soda
ash produced in the US is natural soda ash, which requires much less energy,
capital and raw materials than synthetic soda ash production, and is a significantly
less-costly process.
Clear as glass According to the US Geological Survey, approximately 30 per cent of domestic soda ash shipments are for glass production, including flat glass and mirrors, bottles for beverages, jars for food, insulation, televisions, lighting, glassware and labware.
Most glass manufactured is the soda-lime-silica type. Silica
(ie sand) is the glass forming oxide, lime imparts chemical
stability and the soda ash acts as the fluxing agent. Soda
ash is an essential constituent that reduces
the furnace temperature necessary to melt the silica, thus
reducing the energy required to produce glass. It is generally
used to supply the bulk of the alkali element because it is
the most cost effective source of Na2O. Dense soda
ash is generally preferred over light ash in glass manufacture
because the particles are of a similar size to silica sand.
This enables a homogeneous mixing of raw materials and results
in a high quality end product. Read
more
Raw chemistry
Another 15 per cent of demand comes from the domestic chemical
processing industry, where soda ash is a source of sodium ions
in the production of sodium phosphates, sodium silicates, chrome
chemicals and photographic chemicals. It is also used in the
production of sodium bicarbonate (also known as baking soda),
which is an essential ingredient in the beverage, coatings,
detergents, food, dialysis and personal care markets.
In several of these applications, soda ash and caustic soda can be used interchangeably as raw materials, though typically soda ash has a cost advantage over caustic soda. Read more
Soap
Soda ash is an important ingredient because it functions as a builder in the formulations of soaps, detergents and other cleaning compounds. It also adds benefits as an agglomerating aid, a carrier for surfactants and as a source of alkalinity for pH adjustment. Read more
Other uses
Other US domestic markets include water treatment, where soda ash helps control pH levels and softens water; and paper making, where soda ash softens wood chips and controls the pH level in the pulp cooking process. Read
more
Soda ash exports
Exports
account for approximately
40 per cent of US soda
ash shipments. Major
export markets include
Asia, Europe and Latin
America.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
