SODIUM CARBONATE

Background One of the most economically important carbonate minerals on Earth belongs to the acid carbonate class. This evaporite mineral is called trona and consists of hydrated sodium bicarbonate: Na3H(CO3)2·2H2O. Mineral species of this class usually form in the presence of carbonic acid, a byproduct of carbon dioxide dissolved in water. Composed largely of sodium carbonate (approximately 70 percent), trona is also known as “natural soda ash” (trade name). Refined soda ash is used to manufacture flat glass for automobiles and buildings, as well as a variety of cleansing products (soap, detergent). Other derivatives include baking soda/powder, toothpaste, soft-drink sweetener and cattle feed. The Romans used soda ash to make bread. Southwestern Wyoming is home to the world’s largest trona deposit, which covers 1,300 square miles of its Green River Basin. According to the Bureau of Land Management, this region supplies about 90 percent of the nation’s soda ash. Trona deposits are typically found in freshwater lakes surrounded by silica-rich (acidic) volcanic rocks. Production and consumption Based on statistics released by the U.S. Geological Survey (2023 Mineral Commodity Summary), domestic sodium carbonate produced in 2022 was estimated at 11 Mt for a total market value of $1.4 billion, slightly less than the 2021 output. The U.S. industry consists of four companies in Wyoming (Fig. 1) and one in southeastern California (Searles Valley Minerals Inc.), which have a combined production capacity of 13.9 Mt/a. Nearly half of the total soda ash developed in 2022 (approximately 48 percent) went into glass products, with about 28 percent used in chemicals and the remaining for soaps/detergents, fluegas desulfurization, distributors and paper. Like other natural materials, the global market (trona) is driven by technological advances. China is a major player, with annual production exceeding 25 Mt. As such, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to dominate the soda ash market over the next decade (2022 Market Research Report). Exports and imports During 2022, the United States exported about 6.4 Mt of soda ash, more than one-half of its total production (USGS statistics). While only 100,000 t were received from other nations, mostly Turkey, this quantity more than doubled the average of annual imports over the past decade. Development of Turkey’s major trona deposits (Beypazari and Kazan) is proving disruptive to the long-established European chemical industry. Figure 1 Left: Soda ash source rock locations in southwest Wyoming. Right: An underground trona mine. (Source: Wyoming Mining Association) Trends and outlook U.S. production, consumption, and exportation in 2022 continued at levels comparable to those recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the primary factors influencing growth of the global market is the burgeoning glass industry. The demand for glass products has risen significantly in recent years due to increased automobile sales and construction activities. In many countries, new environmental regulations have resulted in greater wastewater treatment efforts, and thus, utilization of soda ash cleansing products. References are available from the author.

SODIUM CARBONATE

Authored by:
Keith D. Gray

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From sessions to strategy: Revealing long-term and emerging innovation trends in data analytics, intelligent systems and automation

Mining education gets federal boost as industry faces workforce crunch

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To view the past issues of the UCA magazine you must be a member of SME/UCA.

SAND AND GRAVEL

STRONTIUM

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