METTLER TOLEDO
 

Success Story: pH Control Allows Higher Profitability Due to Optimized Use of Raw Material

Compared to before, savings were considerable and moreover, the quality of the byproducts of the reaction also improved.
Soda ash is produced on a large scale using the Solvay process. To offset the rising energy and metallurgical coke, focus has turned to tighter control of feedstock consumption. Precise and reliable pH measurement plays a major role in optimization of the reaction process.
The customer
Shandong Haihua Group, Weifang, in the province of Shandong in North-East China, is the largest soda producer in Asia with an output of two million tons of soda ash per year. The Shandong Haihua Group employees nearly 3000 people. Shandong Haihua Group is mainly engaged in the production of chemicals based on salt, coal and petroleum, but is also active in both import and export of other products.

Soda ash production
In the industrial production of soda ash (sodium carbonate), the Solvay Process is the one most commonly used worldwide. It centers around a large cylindrical hollow tower. At the bottom, calcium carbonate (limestone) is heated to release carbon dioxide. At the top, a concentrated solution (brine) of sodium chloride and ammonia enters the tower. As the carbon dioxide bubbles up through it, sodium bicarbonate precipitates. The sodium bicarbonate is then converted to sodium carbonate by heating it, releasing water and carbon dioxide. Meanwhile, the ammonia is regenerated from the ammonium chloride byproduct by treating it with the lime (calcium hydroxide) left over from carbon dioxide generation. Because the Solvay process recycles its ammonia, it consumes only brine and limestone, and has calcium chloride as its only waste product.

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Industry applications
Sodium carbonate is used in the manufacture of glass, pulp and paper, detergents, and chemicals such as sodium silicates and sodium phosphates. It is also used as an alkaline agent in many chemical industries…..
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