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CHAPTER 2
SALT AND SALT PRODUCTION PROCESS
2.1 IMPORTANCE OF SALT TO MANKIND
2.2
industries around the world. The US Geological survey recognizes 8 major
categories comprising 29 end uses (Kostick, 2002).
2.2 SALT PRODUCTION
Producing salt from sea water involves the selective recovery of pure
NaCl, free of other soluble or non-soluble salts and other substances. To
achieve this either sea water or bore well brine or large open well brine is
pumped into the initial reservoir ponds, and is concentrated through natural
evaporation, which leads to the fractional crystallisation of all salts contained;
a process based on their varying solubility. Following sections detail the
economics of salt production, salt season, salt pan operations, brine analyses,
technology and the meteorological parameters governing the salt production.
2.3 SALT PRODUCTION SCENARIO
India is the fourth largest salt producing country in the world with an
average annual production of about 145 lakh tones (See Annexure 2.1). Private
sector plays a dominant role contributing over 65 per cent of the salt
production in the country, while the public sector contributes about 2 per cent.
The cooperative sector contributes about 9 per cent whereas the small-scale
sector (less than 10 acres) accounts for nearly 24 per cent of the total salt
production in the country. There are about 13,000 salt works, mostly in small
sector, engaged in the production of salt.
2.3
Salt is one of the essential items of human consumption. The per-capita
consumption of salt in the country is estimated at about 14 kg per annum which
includes edible as well as industrial salt. The current annual requirement of
salt in the country is estimated to be 60 lakh tonnes for edible use (including
requirement for cattle) and 85 lakh tonnes for industrial use. Caustic soda,
soda ash, chlorine, etc. are the major salt-based industries. Besides, about 24
lakh tonnes of salt is exported every year. Common salt and iodised salt are
exported chiefly to Japan, Philippines, China, USA, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal
and Bhutan under open general license (NMCC, GOI, 2007).
2.4
Fig. 2.1
2.5
2.6
from 3.5 to 26Be) of the total area of the saltern and create a complete,
living ecosystem.
This production method is still used nowadays for the recovery of salt
from sea water, although there have been improvements and variations,
allowing for the production of some hundred to a few million tonnes of salt,
depending on the size of the area in use (Korovessis and Lekkas, 1994). These
three stages (reservoirs, condensers and crystallizers) constitute the basic steps
towards improving the salt manufacturing technology.
2.3.3 SALT PAN ARCHITECTURE
Figure 2.2 illustrates a typical layout of salt works. Principally, in
Tuticorin coastal areas, any salt pan operation comprises five following
components: 1. Abstraction of brine; 2. impounding of brine in reservoirs; 3.
concentrating in condensers; 4. Precipitating salt in pans and 5. Stock piling or
salt heaps.
Generally, a saltern consists of a system of shallow ponds (15-60 cm
deep), connected mainly in series, with natural clay bottom to ensure very low
water permeability. In principle, operation is not basically different from the
one described previously. Differences could be seen only in optimization, brine
transfer, and collection of salt due to some technological progress. It is
because the whole process relies on natural energy, the solar energy.
2.7
Fig.
2.2
2.8
(Brine transfer at the rate of one pond /day enhances the evaporation rate
and thereby increases salt precipitation.). The ponds are divided into two basic
groups. The first group, usually called evaporating ponds, is where sea water is
concentrated up to saturation point in terms of NaCl.
The second group, called crystallizers, consists of the basins where salt
is crystallized and produced via further evaporation of the brine. What
basically elevates saltern to ecosystems is the fact that for sea water to be
concentrated up to the point of salt crystallization, 90% of its water content
has to evaporate, thus requiring a vast surface (approximately 90% of the salt
works area). So it is the concentration of the initial brine available decides the
requirement of reservoirs and concentrating ponds (Korovessis and Lekkas,
1994).
2.3.3.1 Brine concentration
Often the bore well brine concentration is either two or three times the
sea water concentration i.e. 8Be or even 10Be. Based on this available brine
source present day salterns are designed.
Crystallizers take up the remaining 10% of the area when sea water is
used as starter brine. The crystallizer basins are specially designed and have
their bottom leveled and concentrated, aiming to facilitate and optimize the
manual or mechanized collection of salt.
2.9
The first pond of the saltern is fed with sea water (raw material) usually
via pumping. As sea water flows from pond to pond, its concentration rises
continuously through natural evaporation. The evaporation (or concentration)
of brine is achieved by exposure to solar radiation and with the help of the
prevailing microclimate in the area, especially of wind, rainfall, air
temperature, humidity and duration of sunshine.
So an increasing salinity (concentration) gradient is created throughout
the ponds of the saltern with a simultaneous and continuous reduction of the
volume of sea water, which initially entered the system of pans.
2.3.3.2 Pond biogeochemistry
Generally gypsum, a hydrous sulphate of calcium may precipitate within
the fluid and settle down or precipitate at bottom of the sink itself
(Blatt et al., 1980). Moreover, salt pan gypsum acquires interesting bed form
that is curly and layered, differently called as teepees and tumuli. Hence salt
pan gypsum is described hereunder.
2.3.3.3 Gypsum as a mineral
Gypsum is one of the important industrial minerals. In India, cement
industry is the major end use consumer of gypsum followed by industries
producing fertilizer and plaster of Paris. Acidic soil is treated with gypsum.
Gypsum occurs in nature as sedimentary evaporitic deposits on land.
2.10
Gypsum is found extensively all over the World. It is believed that most
gypsum deposits were formed by precipitation from saline waters and the
theory of deposition of gypsum bodies from seawater by evaporation is
generally accepted. Usually it is associated with salt deposits, limestones,
shales, sandstones and clays. Exploration in the Naica mine (Chihuahua,
Mexico) recently unveiled several caves containing giant, faceted, and
transparent single crystals of gypsum as long as 11 m.
2.3.3.3.1 Properties of gypsum
2.11
Crystals of marine gypsum are usually needle shaped and are known as
selenite.
2.3.3.3.3 Gypsum nucleation and crystal morphology
The
most
influential
parameters
potentially
affecting
gypsum
2.12
are under biogeochemical control. The most convincing arguments show that
dolomitization of CaCO3 can trigger the precipitation of gypsum with the excess
of sulphate during the process:
2CaCO3 + Mg2+ + SO42- CaMg(CO3)2 + CaSO4.
The role of bacteria in such secondary dolomitization of CaCO3 is not known
with any certainty, but carbon of dolomite formed in a sabkha in Mexico was
found to be isotopically light due to biogenic influence.
Thus the sulphate problem in evaporites may be influenced by
bacterial activity but only through the mechanism of dolomitization (Holser et
al., 1981).
2.13
and biological productivity are notable. In the summer are brine temperature
increase and longer day length, both due to increased solar radiation, and
biological activity in solar ponds. It has been popularly accepted by saltern
managers that red-coloured brines (due to Dunaliella and / or Halobacteria)
increase solar absorption and cause the temperature of the brines to rise, but
there are no published data documenting this effect (Javor, 1989).
According to Javor (1983) the maximum temperature attained by
densely coloured brine was 46C while the clear brine reached only 39C. In
that saltern, mid-morning brine temperatures typically varied between 19 and
30C. Temperatures up to 41C were recorded in a Spanish saltern (Rodriguezvalera et al., 1985).
When the biological system of saltern is upset due to either negligent
operation or generally deficient design, or to the pollutants carried in the sea
water, which is fed into the saltern an excessive quantity of organic matter is
produced. Thus, the biological chain is altered and the saltern become
downgraded with the reduction of the surface of the ponds and increased
viscosity of the brine resulting in the production of bad and sometimes
potentially not marketable quality salt. Therefore, it is clear why the optimal
operation of modern salt works is impossible without maintaining, at the same
time, a healthy and stable ecosystem. It is worth noting that salt works are
totally free of pesticides or other chemical compounds used in farming
(Korovessis and Lekkas, 1994).
2.14
that
calcium
carbonate
begins
to
precipitate
at
brine
2.15
sea water concentration is 3.5Be. The crystallization of CaCO3 begins at
4.6Be and that of CaSO4 at 13.2Be. NaCl crystallizes at 24.5Be, followed by
the more soluble Mg salts at 30Be (Korovessis and Lekkas, 1994).
2.4 SUMMARY
This chapter narrates salt and salt production from an industrial stand
point of view. Importance of salt, salt production and its scenario, salt season,
solar salt production process, salt pan architecture, brine concentration, pond
biogeochemistry are discussed. In India, on an average, 145 million metric
tonnes of salt is being annually produced in solar evaporating sea water or
brine impounded ponds. Gypsum is dealt here as a by-product of salt producing
firms. Properties of gypsum as a mineral and crystallization environment are
given. Primarily gypsum crystallizes as mats along with microbial layers and
manifest in the form of tumuli, which is a typical bed form acquired by gypsum
which further grows laterally forming ridges and crests and these are
frequently broken to form teepees. It is followed by a description of sequential
precipitation of minerals in salt pans. Sea water with a salinity of 3.5 oBe
through evaporation crystallizes into magnesium salts at 30oBe through
intermediate salts of calcium carbonate, calcium sulphate and sodium chloride.
Sodium chloride crystallizes at 24.5 oBe. With 14000 uses, salt certainly
occupies an important place in the society. Following the convention, the
following chapter discusses on materials and methods.
2.16