Solar
Salt
Common salt touches the lives of almost
everyone. Indian salt industry has made rapid strides during last six decades.
From an import dependent nation at the time of Independence, today it ranks
third amongst 120 salt producing countries, with an average annual production
of about 24 million tonnes. The Indian Salt Industry after meeting country's
domestic requirements of 18 million tonnes, exports about five million tons of
salt to 20 countries.
Out of the total of salt produced
in the country annually, 70% salt is produced from sea brine and 28% salt comes
from subsoil brines and the remaining 2% is produced from lake brines/salt
rocks. Mandi in Himachal Pradesh is the only source of rock salt in India.
In India, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan contribute to about 96% of the
country's salt production. Gujarat contributes 75% to the total production,
followed by Tamil Nadu (11%) and Rajasthan (10%). Other states such as Andhra
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Karnataka, West Bengal, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Diu
& Daman also contribute to a small extent. About 62% of the total
production is from large salt producers, 28% is contributed by small scale
producers and rest by medium scale producers. Most of the salt is produced by
private sector only. The Indian salt industry uses labour intensive
technology in contrast to high level of mechanization in salt industry of
nations like Australia, Canada, France, USA etc. India exports surplus
production of salt to the tune of about 35 lakh tonnes on an average. Major countries
importing salt from India are Japan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, South Korea, North
Korea, Malaysia, U.A.E., Vietnam, Qatar etc.
Nearly 30% of total salt produced goes for human and animal consumption and
thus can be a potential carrier of essential micronutrients for combating
various diseases normally occurring from deficiency of such nutrients in human
body. Salt is also required as a basic feedstock in many of the chemical
industries. Worldwide about 60% of the salt produced is used in chemical
industry, mostly for producing chlorine, caustic soda and soda-ash which are
further utilized in the processes like, organic synthesis, polymer and
petrochemicals and petroleum refining etc. and is also required in applications
such as de-icing, water treatment or coolants etc.
The salt content in the oceans is 'virtually inexhaustible.' Besides this there
are substantial deposits of salt in major salt producing countries. There are
mainly three ways of producing salt (a) direct mining of rock salt, (b) forced
evaporation of brine, and (c) solar evaporation of brine. The most common and
energy efficient method is progressive evaporation and concentration of sea,
subsoil or lake brines in various condensing and crystallizing pans utilizing solar
energy.
In general, purer the salt the more valuable it is. Moisture in salt, mainly
due to the presence of excess impurities of magnesium salts, is also
detrimental as it can lead to the caking up of salt besides being an unwanted
baggage during transportation of salt. For example, if 10 million tonnes of
salt has to be transported from the fields by road, a 4% moisture level in salt
would amount to ca. 40,000 unnecessary trips! A dry salt thus helps reduce the
carbon footprint.
Over the years a series of inventions have taken place in the area of solar
salt. CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, a premier
salt research institute has made a commendable contribution in the development
of novel cost effective technologies of high purity solar salt production.
The Indian salt industry in general lacks adoption of novel methods of solar
salt production leading to inferior quality of harvested salt than countries
such as Australia and Mexico. Improving the quality of such impure salt
requires mechanical washing and other chemical treatments. CSIR-Central Salt
& Marine Chemicals Research Institute, along with various State Governments
and Salt Department, the Government is continuously pursuing the programmme of
improving the quality of solar salt in a cluster development fashion as well as
in the form of establishment of model salt farms which serve as demonstration
units among the salt producers.
Mechanization/modernization of solar salt works and use of saline wastes of
various industries during solar salt production will also lead to enhancement
in salt productivity. The latter will help not only in improving yield but also
in improving the quality of slat and mitigation of environmental hazards
generally occurred from discharge of effluent in sea or other at other places.
Heavy losses in salt production are incurred as a consequence of unfavourable
climatic conditions like heavy rainfall etc. Such issues can be addressed
partially by mechanization and automation of solar salts. The mechanization of
salt works will not only help in overcoming the problems of shortage of desired
manpower engaged in salt production activities but will also help in improving
the quality and yield of solar salt.
Indian salt industry is targeting
production of 40 million tons salt by 2020 to meet its domestic requirement of
25 million tons and export about 10 million salt. It can be achieved by
effective utilization of the available 6.1 lakh acre land and increasing productivity
using modern technology. The slat industry is to be mechanized, merger of the
salt works to increase the size of operation and use of solar plant in place of
traditional electric / diesel power is to be encouraged.
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