Salt works serve multifaceted purposes across various industries and daily life. The extracted salt undergoes different processing stages to meet specific application requirements.
Food & Culinary Applications
- Seasoning & Preservation: Table salt enhances flavor and inhibits microbial growth in meats, fish, and pickled goods.
- Food Processing: Essential in baking for gluten development, cheese making, and butter production.
- Water Softening: Sodium chloride regenerates ion-exchange resins in water softeners.
Industrial & Chemical Production
- Chlor-Alkali Process: Key raw material for producing chlorine, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), and soda ash via electrolysis.
- De-icing: Rock salt lowers water's freezing point, preventing ice formation on roads and pavements.
- Chemical Feedstock: Used in manufacturing PVC plastics, paper pulp, detergents, and textiles.
Water Treatment & Environmental
- Municipal Water Treatment: Controls algae and adjusts pH levels in potable water systems.
- Regenerant: Cleans ion-exchange systems for industrial wastewater purification.
Agriculture & Animal Husbandry
- Animal Nutrition: Sodium chloride supplements livestock feed for essential mineral intake.
- Feedstock Additive: Integral in compound feed manufacturing.
Salt's functionalities remain indispensable in contemporary infrastructure and manufacturing ecosystems.