Salt Production
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yuvarat Ngernyen
Department of Chemical Engineering
Table Salt
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Type of Salt
01 Sea salt
using sun and wind power to evaporate the
seawater brine
02 Solar salt
from the earth surface or natural brine
03 Rock salt
from the solution mining and underground
mining
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Sea salt Solar salt Rock salt
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North East :
Rock salt
South Central :
Sea salt
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Industrial Salt
used as raw material for the production of different chemicals
Sodium hydroxide (Caustic soda, NaOH)
Chlorine (Cl2)
Sodium carbonate (Soda ash, Na2CO3)
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“Electrolysis Process”
Cathode: 2 H 2O + 2e −
→ 2 OH − + H 2
Na + + OH −
→ NaOH
Anode: 2 Cl −
→ Cl2 + 2e −
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Sodium hydroxide/Chlorine
Detergents
Textiles Paper pulp
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Production method : Solution mining
Solution mining
Brine purification
Evaporation
Centrifuge
Dryer
https://www.psc.co.th/en/overview-of-production-method 11
Solution Mining
Inject freshwater to dissolve the rock salt
Water is injected down to dissolve the caverns in
the underground salt beds at 200 metres depth
Salt is extracted by forcing water under pressure
into a bore-hole drilled into an underground salt bed
The salt dissolves, turning the water into brine
and creating a cavern in the salt-bed
The brine will be pumped up to the surface
and purified
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After the production, once the caverns grow to their
designed size, the wells will be closed holding full level of
saturated brine while the pressure inside is maintained
at all times to protect subsidence or collapse of the
surface.
Salt caverns are often used to store oil, petroleum gas
(such as ethylene or propylene) or non-water soluble
wastes and nuclear wastes.
Because of density differences, the brine does not mix
with the stored product.
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Brine Purification
Calcium, magnesium, and other impurities are removed before beginning the
brine evaporation process.
(Raw Brine)
Purified Brine
To Evaporation process
Solid precipitated
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/er.4008 14
Brine Purification
The brine purification stage includes
(1) Chemical dosing
(2) Reaction
(3) Sedimentation processes
Can be conducted as a batch or
continuous process.
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The raw brine from the storage is pumped into the reactor, where sodium hydroxide
(NaOH) and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) are added in order to form precipitates with
the impurities for removal.
→ CaCO3 + 2 NaCl
CaCl2 + Na2CO3
Precipitate
calcium carbonate
MgSO4 + 2 NaOH
→ Mg (OH ) 2 + Na2 SO4
Precipitate
magnesium hydroxide
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The sediment (Sludge) fall into the bottom of the tank.
When pumping sludge tank bottom out, you are left with Purified Brine.
The system then sends it to an evaporation process (boiled until the salt slurry is
visible).
(The sludge collected at the bottom of the reactor is pumped to the slurry tank for
brine recovery, leaving the remaining solids as waste.)
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Evaporation
Vacuum evaporation: lowering the
pressure lowers the boiling point
The pressure inside the evaporation
system was lowered and steam
generated from each of the
evaporation sections was used as the
To centrifuge heat source for the next evaporation
section (for three or four sections).
“Multiple-effect evaporation crystallization”
https://www.shiojigyo.com/english/method/bdp.html 18
As the brine boils in the first effect, water evaporates producing further steam
and causing salt crystals to grow.
As the brine boils and the water starts to evaporate, a thick salt slurry of
brine and salt crystals is formed.
In the second effect, the exhaust steam from the first effect evaporate further
water from the brine to produce further crystals.
The slurry from the final effect is fed into a rotating centrifuge which spins off more
water and the resulting undried salt.
This salt is usually for supply to the chemical industry.
For food and related industries, a drier salt is required. Salt from the centrifuges is fed
into dryer for further drying.
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Salt Dryer
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Example
In the industrial production of chlorine gas, a current of 50,000 A
was passed through a salt solution for 1 hour.
Calculate the volume of gas which would be produced.
Molar volume of chlorine gas 24 L/mol
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Anode: 2 Cl −
→ Cl2 + 2e −
I = Current (ampere, A)
Q
I= Q = Charge (coulomb, C)
t
t = time (second, s)
Charge of 1 electron (e-) : 1.6×10-19 C
Charge of 1 mol electron : 6.023×1023× 1.6×10-19 C = 96,500 C
=1F
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I = 50,000 A
t = 1 hour = 3,600 s
Q = I × t = 50, 000 × 3, 600 = 1.8 ×108 C
Charge 96,500 C equal to e- 1 mol
Therefore Charge 1.8×108 C equal to e- 1 mol
×1.8 ×108 C = 1,865.28 mol e −
96,500 C
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2 Cl −
→ Cl2 + 2e −
electron 2 mol occur with Cl2 1 mol
Therefore electron 1,865.28 mol occur with Cl2 1 mol
×1,865.28 mol
2 mol
= 932.64 mol
Cl2 1 mol occupy 24 L
Therefore Cl2 932.64 mol occupy 24 L
× 932.64 mol
1 mol
= 22,383 L
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