Sodium Carbonate

About Sodium Carbonate

Sodium carbonate, also known as carbonate acid, soda ash, washing soda, or soda crystal, is an inorganic alkali chemical compound with the chemical formula of Na₂CO₃. It is an odorless, opaque white, crystalline, or granular solid, soluble in water and insoluble in alcohol, acetone, and ether. Sodium carbonate reacts exothermically with strong acids evolving carbon dioxide. It corrodes aluminum, lead, and iron.

Sodium carbonate is a hygroscopic salt that tends to absorb moisture from the air; if stored under moist conditions, its alkalinity decreases due to the absorption of moisture and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Sodium carbonate, or natural soda ash, can naturally occur on earth, extracted from vegetable or mineral sources from certain plants or seaweed located in several salt deposits or refined from a mineral named trona. On the other hand, it can be chemically produced and manufactured from several chemical processes leading to synthetic soda ash. These processes are: Le Blanc, Solvey, Dual and NA, Monohydrate, Sesquicarbonate, Carbonation, and Alkali extraction.

Major Uses And Applications

Soda ash is one of the most essential raw materials for the manufacturing and processing industry; numerous applications of soda ash cover both domestic and commercial usage. It is mainly used in the production of various chemical fertilizers, production of artificial sodium bentonites or activated bentonites, as well as in the industry of: organic and inorganic coloring, enameling, petroleum, fats, glue, and gelatin.

Sodium carbonate is also used to improve and treat the alkalinity of lakes that have been affected by rain as well as to reduce the acidity of emissions being generated from power plants. In the food industry, as a neutralizer, and leavening agent, to manufacture amino acids, soy sauce, and flour food such as bread, pasta, and spices.

Glass Industry

Soda ash is used in the manufacturing of flat and container glass since it reduces the viscosity and acts as a fluxing agent in glass melting.

Detergent Industry

It is utilized in many prepared domestic products: soaps, scouring powders, soaking, and washing powders containing varying proportions of sodium carbonate, where the soda ash acts primarily as a builder or water softener. Sodium carbonate is a primary raw material in the manufacture of sodium phosphates and sodium silicates, which are essential components of domestic and industrial cleaners. It is also added to these detergents to produce formulations for the manufacture of heavy-duty laundering and other specialized detergents. Sodium carbonate may also be used for neutralizing fatty acids in soap production.

Metals and Mining

It produces metals in both, the refining and smelting stages. It often elaborates a metal carbonate that can later be converted to oxide before smelting.

Steel Industry

Soda ash is used as a flux, desulfurized, dephosphorizer, and denitrifier. Aqueous soda ash solutions are used to remove sulfur dioxide from combustion gases in steel desulfurization, flue gas desulfurization systems, forming sodium sulfite and sodium bicarbonate.

Paper and Pulp

Sodium carbonate solution is used to produce sodium sulfite or bisulfite for the manufacture of paper pulp by various sulfite processes.

Textiles

It is widely used in the preparation of fibers and textiles. In wool processing, it is used during scouring and carbonizing to remove grease and dirt from the wool and as a neutralizer after treatment with acids.

Non-ferrous metallurgy industry

Sodium carbonate is utilized for the treatment of uranium ores and oxidizing calcination of chrome ore. Also, for recycling discarded batteries, zinc, and aluminum.

Chemical Industry

Soda ash is included in many chemical reactions to produce organic or inorganic compounds used in very different applications. It is used to manufacture many sodium-based inorganic chemicals, including sodium bicarbonate, sodium chromates, sodium phosphates, and sodium silicates.

Common Uses And Applications

• Raw material for fertilizers
• Dyes and coloring agent
• Pulp and paper manufacturing
• Adhesives and sealants agent
• Fluxing factor
• Glass containers component
• Water softener
• Stain remover
• Foaming agent of toothpaste
• Wetting agent in the brick industry
• Food additive
• Cleaning silver metal
• PH buffer
• Swimming pool chemical

Industries

• Chemical
• Pulp And Paper
• Food And Beverage
• Pharmaceutical
• Glass
• Automotive
• Construction
• Fertilizer
• Soap And Detergent
• Metal And Mining
• Textile
• Metallurgy