What is Soda Ash Dense?
Soda ash dense is the trade name for sodium carbonate or washing soda. is a chemical substance white in colour and its aqueous solution is clear and colorless (chemical formula Na₂CO₃). It is synthetically produced in large quantities from salt (sodium chloride) and limestone by a method known as the Solvay process. The pure product appears as a while, odorless powder with a strong alkaline taste.
Difference between soda ash and Sodium carbonate
Soda Ash Light and sodium carbonate are both chemically identical compounds, with the only difference being their densities and size. Soda Ash has a finer density of 0.7 g/cc, while Soda Ash Dense is about 0.9g/cc. Meanwhile, they also have different applications in different industries.
How is dense soda ash made?
Light soda ash is typically converted to dense soda ash by adding sufficient water or sodium carbonate solution to recrystallize the light soda ash as coarse sodium carbonate monohydrate. The recrystallized coarse sodium carbonate monohydrate particles are then calcined into dense soda ash. Tata Chemicals manufactures light soda ash using the ammonia-soda process
Sodium carbonate is also produced using the ammonia-alkali processing. However, the processing involves solid-phase water method, evaporation method, and the carbonization method. And also, Natural alkali is used as raw material for this process.
Different types of sodium carbonate
- Soda ash is produced in three grades:
- Light soda ash, which is widely used as a buffering agent/acidity regulator.
- Medium soda ash, which is largely used in soaps and detergents.
- Sodium carbonate, which is used for industrial & manufacturing applications
What is sodium carbonate used for?
- Sodium carbonate mainly used as making soaps and detergents, where it is employed as a builder, or filler, to give a smoother surface,
- Production of chemicals such as sodium silicate, sodium bicarbonate and percarbonate, and sodium chromate and dichromate,
- Also used as Pulp and paper manufacture,
- Used at process of water treatment, and effluent treatment
- And finally used at metallurgy and drugs.
Packaging product
It normally packed in 25 kg bag .
Chemical Specifications of Dense Soda Ash
| Na2CO3 | 99.5 min % |
| Na2O | 58.2 min % |
| NaCl | 0.1 min % |
| Na2SO4 | 0.1 max % |
| Total Fe | 10 max µg/g |
| Water Insolubles | 0.05 max % |
| As/ Arsenic | 1 max ppm |
| Pb/ Lead | 1 max ppm |
| Hb/ Mercury | 1 max ppm |
| Solubility | 45.5 (100 C) , 49.5 (35.37 C) ,7 (0 C) g/100 ml water |
| pH | 11.4 1%SOLUTION |
Physical Properties of Sodium carbonate
| Bulk Density | 0.95 – 1.15 g/cm3 |
| Whiteness | L*=95 min. (CIE Lab) % |
| Appearance | Colourless crystals or white, granular or crystalline powder visual |
| Solubility | Soluble in water. insoluble in ethanol. |
| Particle Size | |
| +600 micron (µm) | 5 max % |
| +150 micron (µm) | 88 min % |
| -75 micron (µm) | 5 max % |