PROCESS III

PRODUCTION OF SODIUM CARBONATE FROM TRONA ORE BY MONOHYDRATE PROCESS

I. INTRODUCTION

There are two methods to process trona to produce sodium carbonate, by monohydrate
process or by sesquicarbonate process. The two processes presently used to produce natural soda
ash differ only in the recovery and primary treatment of the raw material used. Monohydrate process
being the most used process of the two. Monohydrate process produces dense soda ash which is
the type used for the glass making industry.

II. REACTION MECHANISM

The main reaction for this process is,

2𝑁𝑎2 𝐶𝑂3 ∙ 𝑁𝑎𝐻𝐶𝑂3 → 3𝑁𝑎2 𝐶𝑂3(𝑆) + 𝐶𝑂2(𝑔) + 5𝐻2 𝑂(𝑔)

The ore is heated to release the carbon dioxide and yield sodium carbonate

III. PROCESS DESCRIPTION

Trona ore is mined by conventional room and pillar mining, longwall mining and shortwall
mining methods. It is composed of 45% Na2CO3, 35% NaHCO3, 2% NaCl, 1.5% Na2SO4, 0.1% SiO2,
0.2% insoluble, and 18% H2O.

In the monohydrate process, trona is crushed and calcined in rotary gas fired calciners at
150 to 300 ºC to remove water and carbon dioxide from the ore, which reduces the weight of the ore
by 27%, leaving an impure product containing 85% sodium carbonate and 15% insoluble.
The crude sodium carbonate is fed into a dissolver, where the sodium carbonate dissolves.
The liquor is then sent to a clarifier where suspended solids can settle. These solids are futher
dewatered in a secondary clarifier. Then the solution is filtered and activated carbon may be used to
remove impurities from the liquor.
The clear, hot solution containing about 30% sodium carbonate by weight is sent to
evaporative multi – effect crystallizers or mechanical vapor crystallizers, where sodium carbonate
monohydrate crystals (𝑁𝑎2 𝐶𝑂3 ∙ 𝐻2 𝑂) precipitate at 40 to 100 ºC , which is below the transition
temperature of monohydrate to anhydrous soda ash. The final concentration is about 60%.

The insoluble portion of the ore containing shale and shortite is collected by clarifiers, filtered
and then washed to recover any additional alkali before being piped in a slurry to tailing ponds or
injected underground in abandoned sections of the mine.

The crystals are sent from the crystallizers to hydrocyclones and dewatered in centrifuges
to between 2% and 6% free moisture. The centrifuge cake is conveyed to steam tube dryers where
the crystals are dehydrated into anhydrous soda ash at 120 – 180 ºC, screened and sent to storage
or shipment. The final product made by the monohydrate process is dense soda ash with a bulk
density of 0.99 – 1.04 g/cm3 and an average particle size of about 250 µm.
IV. EQUIPMENT UTILIZED

Table 1: Equipment’s for Production of Sodium Carbonate from Trona by Monohydrate Process

TAG NUMBER EQUIPMENT

1 CR – 001 Crusher
2 CA – 001 Calciner
3 AD – 001 Agitator Dissolver
4 CL – 001 Clarifier
5 CL – 002 Clarifier
6 F – 001 Separator (filter)
7 E – 001 Evaporator
8 E – 002 Evaporator
9 CE – 001 Centrifuge
10 D – 001 Dryer
11 SC – 001 Screen
12 ST – 001 Sodium Carbonate storage
tank
13 ST – 002 Trona ore storage tank
V. RAW MATERIALS

Trona, an evaporite mineral, hydrated sodium bicarbonate [Na3H(CO3)2·2H2O],

occasionally encountered as a saline lake deposit or evaporation product and as an efflorescence
on arid soil. (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019)

Figure 1. Trona Ore

The U.S. Geological Survey in 1997 estimated the total reserve of trona to be 127 billion
tons, but only 40 billion tons are recoverable. At the current rate of operation, Wyoming’s reserves
of trona will last 2,350 years. According to the Wyoming Geological Survey, Wyoming mines have
produced over 633.2 million tons of trona since 1949.

Glass making consumes about half of the soda ash, followed by the chemical industry, which
uses about a quarter of the output. Other uses include soap, paper manufacturing, and water
treatment, and all baking soda comes from soda ash, which means you probably have a box of
Wyoming trona product in your kitchen.
 VI. PLANT ECONOMY
The total capital investment and the annual production rate calculations for the monohydrate process
are shown in this section.
Table 2: Price of raw materials in Monohydrate process
Raw Materials Price (PhP per ton)
Trona ore 11837.92
Source: ICS News, January 2019

TOTAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT

Estimated fixed capital cost is calculated using the Lang Method; factor the same with Table 6.2.
from D.W. Green, R.H. Perry, Perry’s Chemical Engineers Handbook, 8th ed.

The formula for the computation of Fixed Capital Cost was taken from Chemical Engineering
Design Volume 6 by Coulson and Richardson:

𝐶𝑓 = 𝑓𝐿 𝐶𝑒

Where:

𝐶𝑓 = fixed capital cost

𝐶𝑒 = total delivered cost of all major equipment items

𝑓𝐿 = the “Lang factor”, which depends on the type of process

 Table 3: Detailed Estimation of Fixed Capital Cost of Equipment for Monohydrate process
Equipment Quantity Purchasing Delivered Total Equipment
Equipment Cost Equipment Cost Cost
(Php) (Php)
Crusher 1 ₱931,311.51 ₱46,565.58 ₱200,231.98
Rotary Calciner 1 ₱2,456,510.79 ₱122,825.54 ₱528,149.82
Agitated Dissolver 1 ₱907,569.18 ₱45,378.46 ₱195,127.37
Clarifier 2 ₱1,796,144.96 ₱89,807.25 ₱386,171.17
Evaporator 2 ₱51,077,514.47 ₱2,553,875.72 ₱10,981,665.61
Centrifuge 1 ₱8,452,277.47 ₱422,613.87 ₱1,817,239.66
Rotary Dryer 1 ₱2,532,510.79 ₱126,625.54 ₱544,489.82
Screen 1 ₱1,456,510.79 ₱72,825.54 ₱313,149.82
Storage tanks 2
₱1,410,604.10 ₱70,530.21 ₱303,279.88

Total 12 ₱71,020,954.05 ₱3,551,047.70 ₱14,966,225.24

*Delivered Equipment Costs are at 5% of Purchasing Equipment Cost

Source: www.matche.com & www.mhhe.com & www.alibaba.com

Total Physical Plant Cost (PPC)

𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑃ℎ𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 = 𝑃𝐶𝐸 ( 1 + 𝑓1 + 𝑓2 + 𝑓3 + 𝑓4 + 𝑓5 )

𝑃𝐶𝐶 = ₱ 14,966,225.24 (1 + 0.45 + 0.7 + 0.15 + 0.1 + 0.1 )

𝑷𝑷𝑪 = ₱ 𝟑𝟕, 𝟒𝟏𝟓, 𝟓𝟔𝟑. 𝟏𝟎
Fixed Capital Cost (FCC)
𝐹𝑖𝑥𝑒𝑑 𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 = 𝑃𝑃𝐶 ( 1 + 𝑓10 + 𝑓11 + 𝑓12 )
𝐹𝐶𝐶 = ₱ 37,415,563.10 (1 + 0.3 + 0.05 + 0.10)
𝑭𝑪𝑪 = ₱ 𝟓𝟐, 𝟑𝟖𝟐, 𝟕𝟖𝟖. 𝟑𝟒
Working Capital Cost (WCC)
𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 = 𝐹𝐶𝐶 ( 0.05)
𝑊𝐶𝐶 = ₱52,382,788.34 (0.05)
𝑾𝑪𝑪 = ₱ 𝟐, 𝟔𝟏𝟗, 𝟎𝟖𝟗. 𝟒𝟐
Total Capital Investment (TCI)
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐼𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 = 𝐹𝐶𝐶 + 𝑊𝐶𝐶
𝑇𝐶𝐼 = ₱ 52,381,788.34 + ₱ 2,619,089.42
𝑻𝑪𝑰 = ₱ 𝟓𝟓, 𝟎𝟎𝟎, 𝟖𝟕𝟕. 𝟕𝟔

FIXED COSTS CALCULATION:

Maintenance Cost (MC)

𝑀𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 = (0.10)(𝐹𝐶𝐶)

𝑀𝐶 = ₱ 52, 381,788.34 (0.10)
𝑴𝑪 = ₱ 𝟓, 𝟐𝟑𝟖, 𝟏𝟕𝟖. 𝟖𝟑

Operating Labor Cost (OLC)

The operating labor requirement was determined using Figure 6.4 Operating Labor
Requirements for Chemical Process Industries (Peters & Timmerhaus, 1991). For a plant
capacity of 5 tons of product per day, and having average conditions, the estimated operating labor
requirement is 25 employee - hours/ day/ processing steps. Considering 300 days annual
operation time per year and three (3) processing step, the latest wage for Laguna is Php 373 per
hour and was issued by the Regional Boards as of March 2017.

Operating Labor Cost = Operating Labor x Operating time x wage x Processing steps

25 𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑒𝑒 − ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 300 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑃ℎ𝑝 373

=( )( )( ) (3 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝𝑠)(1 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛)
𝑑𝑎𝑦 − 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑒𝑒 − 8ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠

𝑶𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑳𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒓 𝑪𝒐𝒔𝒕 = ₱ 𝟏, 𝟎𝟒𝟗, 𝟎𝟔𝟐. 𝟓𝟎

Laboratory Cost (LC)
𝐿𝐶 = 𝑂𝐿𝐶(0.25)
𝐿𝐶 = (₱1,049,062.50)(0.25)
𝑳𝑪 = ₱ 𝟐𝟔𝟐, 𝟐𝟔𝟓. 𝟔𝟑
Supervision Cost (SC)
𝑆𝐶 = 𝑂𝐿𝐶(0.20)
𝑆𝐶 = (₱1,049,062.50)(0.20)
𝑺𝑪 = ₱ 𝟐𝟎𝟗, 𝟖𝟏𝟐. 𝟓𝟎
Plant Overhead (PO)
𝑃𝑂 = 𝑂𝐿𝐶(0.50)
𝑃𝑂 = ₱ 1,049,062.50(0.50)
𝑷𝑶 = ₱ 𝟓𝟐𝟒, 𝟓𝟑𝟏. 𝟐𝟓
Capital Charges (CC)
𝐶𝐶 = 𝐹𝐶𝐶(0.10)
𝐶𝐶 = ₱ 52,381,788.34(0.10)
𝑪𝑪 = ₱ 𝟓, 𝟐𝟑𝟖, 𝟏𝟕𝟖. 𝟖𝟑
Local Taxes (LT)
𝐿𝑇 = 𝐹𝐶𝐶(0.015)
𝐿𝑇 = ₱ 52,381,788.34(0.015)
𝑳𝑻 = ₱ 𝟕𝟖𝟓, 𝟕𝟐𝟔. 𝟖𝟑
Insurance (I)
𝐼 = 𝐹𝐶𝐶(0.015)
𝐼 = ₱52,381,788.34(0.015)
𝑰 = ₱ 𝟕𝟖𝟓, 𝟕𝟐𝟓. 𝟖𝟑
License Fee/Royalty Fee (LF/RF)
𝐿𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒 𝐹𝑒𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑅𝑜𝑦𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑦 𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑠 = (0.015)(𝐹𝐶𝐶)

𝐿𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒 𝐹𝑒𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑅𝑜𝑦𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑦 𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑠 = (0.015)(₱52,381,788.34)

𝑳𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝑭𝒆𝒆 𝒐𝒓 𝑹𝒐𝒚𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒚 𝑭𝒆𝒆𝒔 = ₱ 𝟕𝟖𝟓, 𝟕𝟐𝟔. 𝟖𝟑

VARIABLE COST (VC)
Miscellaneous Operating Materials (MOM)
𝑀𝑂𝑀 = (0.10)(𝑀𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡)

𝑀𝑂𝑀 = (0.10)(₱ 5,238,178.83 )

𝑴𝑶𝑴 = ₱ 𝟓𝟐𝟑, 𝟖𝟏𝟕. 𝟖𝟖

𝑉𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑠 = 𝑀𝑂𝑀

𝑽𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒔 = ₱ 𝟓𝟐𝟑, 𝟖𝟏𝟕. 𝟖𝟖

Direct Production Cost (DPC):

𝐷𝑃𝐶 = 𝑉𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑠 + 𝐹𝑖𝑥𝑒𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑠

𝐷𝑃𝐶 = ₱ 523,817.88 + ₱ 14,879,210.02

𝑫𝑷𝑪 = ₱ 𝟏𝟓, 𝟒𝟎𝟑, 𝟎𝟐𝟕. 𝟗𝟎

Indirect Production Cost (IPC):

Sale Expense:
𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝐸𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒 = 0.20 (𝑉𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 + 𝐹𝑖𝑥𝑒𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑠)

𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝐸𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒 = ₱ 523,817.88 + ₱ 14,879,210.02

𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 = ₱ 𝟑, 𝟎𝟖𝟎, 𝟔𝟎𝟓. 𝟓𝟖

General Overheads:

𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑂𝑣𝑒𝑟ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 = 0.30(𝑉𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 + 𝐹𝑖𝑥𝑒𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡)

𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑂𝑣𝑒𝑟ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 = 0.30(₱ 523,817.88 + ₱ 14,879,210.02 )

𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑂𝑣𝑒𝑟ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 = ₱ 4,620,908.37

𝐼𝑃𝐶 = 𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝐸𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒 + 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑂𝑣𝑒𝑟ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠

𝐼𝑃𝐶 = ₱ 3,080,605.58 + ₱ 4,620,908.37

𝑰𝑷𝑪 = ₱ 𝟕, 𝟕𝟎𝟏, 𝟓𝟏𝟑. 𝟗𝟓

Annual Production Cost:

𝐴𝑃𝐶 = 𝐼𝑃𝐶 + 𝐷𝑃𝐶

𝐴𝑃𝐶 = ₱ 7,701,513 + ₱ 15,403,027.90

𝑨𝑷𝑪 = ₱ 𝟐𝟑, 𝟏𝟎𝟒, 𝟓𝟒𝟏. 𝟖𝟓

Production Cost:

𝐴𝑃𝐶
𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 =
(𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦/𝐷𝑎𝑦)(300 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐷𝑎𝑦𝑠/𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟)

₱ 23,104,541.85
𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 =
(5𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑠)(300 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐷𝑎𝑦𝑠/𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟)

𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒔𝒕 = ₱ 𝟏𝟓, 𝟒𝟎𝟑. 𝟎𝟑

The annual production cost required for the plant to produce 5 tons/year of sodium carbonate

using Monohydrate process is estimated to be ₱23,104,541.85. Most of the amounts were allotted

for direct production cost. The estimates were made without the utilities cost that account for the

₱15,403.03 /MT annual production rate.

VII. MANUFACTURABILITY

PURITY

The sodium carbonate from trona ore by monohydrate process has a purity of 98%.

YIELD

The sodium carbonate from trona ore by monohydrate process has a product yield of 70%.

BY-PRODUCT

In the monohydrate process, there is no by-product produced other than carbon dioxide
and wastewater.
 PROCESS USAGE

The production of soda ash from trona by monohydrate process is being used by different
plants around the world such as
 Tata Chemicals Ltd.
- Wyoming, USA
 FMC Soda Ash Plant
- Wyoming,USA and China
 ETI SODA by Ciner group
- Denmark

VIII. SUSTAINABILITY

The raw materials for process 3, trona ore is available in China. The world’s largest deposit
of trona is in Wyoming, which supplies 90 % of United states’ soda ash. It produced over 17.4 million
tons of trona and employed 2,225 people in 2018. Some of the manufacturing plants of trona in China
are FMC Soda Ash Plant, Ciner Wyoming and Genesis Alkali.

Trona

The U.S. trona market size was valued at USD 1.33 billion in 2017 and it is expected to
register a CAGR of 1.7% from 2018 to 2025. The market is anticipated to be driven by increasing
demand for trona from animal feed, air pollution control, and soda ash industries. Trona is primarily
used to manufacture soda ash, by heating it to a very high temperature and converting it to sodium
bicarbonate. Soda ash is used as a raw material in detergents, textiles, and glass. Thus, rise in the
demand for soda ash is among primary factors driving the market growth.

The market is strengthened by the availability of huge bedded and interbedded trona
deposits situated in Green River Basin of Wyoming. Most of the trona in the region is mined through
conventional continuous as well as room and pillar mining methods. The companies engaged in
mining business are focused on improving the mining technique solutions to increase product
recovery. (Industry Analysis Report, 2018)
 Figure 2. Trona Market Size

IX. SAFETY

Table 4 shows the range of operating parameter for the Monohydrate Process

Table 4. Equipment Parameters for Process 3

Parameters Range
Temperature 40-300 oC
Pressure 1 atm

Toxicological Rating
Toxicity level of raw materials was analyzed based on the corresponding health hazards that
it may cause to humans. The basis for attaining the level of toxicity was in Table 5. which explains in
detail the health hazards of the raw materials. It is obtained from the Material Safety Data Sheet of
each raw material used in the process.
 Table 5: Health Hazard Rating of Raw Materials from Process 3

Criteria Raw Materials

The severity of Intermediate Slight skin irritation or in severe, dermatitis.
Effects Redness, tearing or severe eye irritation.
Inhalation of dust can cause nose and throat irritation or coughing.
Sensitization Level Not available
Carcinogenicity Level Not available
Reproduce Toxicity Level Not available
Severity of Chronic Effects Produced soda ulcers on hands and perforation of nasal septum

Toxicity level of raw materials is analyzed, which may be seen in table 7, based on the
corresponding health hazards that it may cause to humans. Basis for attaining the level of toxicity
was in table 5, which explains in detail the health hazards of the raw materials and from the
information in table 5, health hazard rating was made taking 0 - for minimal hazard and no significant
risk to health,1- slight hazard or minor reversible injury possible, 2 - moderate hazard temporary or
minor injury may occur, 3 - serious hazard major injury likely unless prompt action is taken and
medical treatment given, 4 - severe hazard, life-threatening, major of permanent damage may result
from single or repeated exposures.

Table 6. Health Hazard Rating of Raw Materials for Process 3

Health Hazard Rating

0
For minimal hazard and no significant risk for health
1
For slight hazard or minor reversible injury possible
2
For moderate hazard, a temporary or minor injury may occur
3
For serious hazard, a major injury likely unless prompt action is taken
and medical treatment is given
4
For severe hazard, life-threatening, major or permanent damage may
result from single or repeated exposures
 Table 7. Toxicity Level Scores of Raw Materials

Measure Raw Materials

Trona Ore
1
The severity of
Immediate Effects
0
Sensitization Level
0
Carcinogenicity Level
0
Reproduce Toxicity Level
3
The severity of Chronic Effects
4
Subtotal
TOTAL 4

X. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

The production of soda ash from trona by monohydrate process creates significant volumes
of wastewater that must be treated prior to discharge or recycle. These may contain both mineral
(e.g. shale) and salt impurities.

XI. ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS

Environmental hazard level of raw materials is analyzed, which may be seen in table 5, based on the
corresponding hazards that it may cause to environment. Basis for attaining the level of hazard to the
environment was in table 6., which explains in detail the possible environmental hazards of the raw materials
and from the information in table 6. environmental hazard rating was made taking 0 – for minimal hazard and
no significant risk to environment, 1 - slight hazard or minor reversible damage possible, 2 - moderate hazard
temporary or minor damage may occur, 3 - serious hazard major damage to environment unless prompt
action is taken, 4 - severe hazard, permanent damage may result.
 Table 6. Environmental Hazard Level Scores of Raw Materials in Solvay Process

MEASURE RAW MATERIALS

Level of Importance Trona
Aquatic Toxicity 3 2
Toxicity on Plants and Animals 3 2
Toxicity of Immediate Degradation 4 0
Long- termed Degradation Effects 5 0
Weighted Score
Average
TOTAL

Table 7. Basis of Environmental Hazard Level Scores

CRITERIA RAW MATERIALS

Aquatic Toxicity
Toxicity on Plants and Animals
Toxicity of Immediate Degradation
Long- termed Degradation Effects
Trona
Acute hazards to aquatic environment
Can caused dehydration to animals.