Salt production

 

Introduction.

Salt is the oldest seasoning used by man and it’s importance for life is such that it has marked the development of history in it’s different stages, reaching great economic, political and culinary repercussions throughout the different civilizations that have been polishing our culture and ways of life. It is a product whose use is widespread throughout gastronomy and world industry. So valuable is it that, in ancient Rome, salaries were paid in salt (where the word "salary" comes from).

Development.

This mineral is called sodium chloride (NaCl) and is composed of a wide variety of trace elements, sodium being the sixth most abundant element in the earth's crust. It is present in the environment and in different foods, both organic and processed. Ionic compound whose chemical formula is NaCl. For every gram of salt, about 40 percent (39.337%) is composed of sodium (Na) and about 60 percent (60.663%) is chloride (Cl).

According to (Jodlowski, 1971) the exploitation of salt during the Neolithic period was especially important on certain occasions and more so because of the considerable amounts concentrated in some nearby water sources such as in the case of Little Poland.

Salt by solar evaporation (sea salt)

Production method covers about 85% of the salt produced. In general terms, it consists of obtaining seawater or natural brine to evaporate it through the combined action of solar and wind energy. When the brine reaches it’s saturation point, the crystallization of the sodium chloride begins.

 

Salt evaporated under high vacuum

This process is carried out in a plant specifically designed for this purpose. It essentially consists of evaporators and heat exchangers, also known as a refinery. One of the advantages of the salt production process by means of refining is that very crystalline, white and high purity (99.5%) salt can be obtained. Most of the salt produced is by solar evaporation (sea salt). This type of salt is harvested along the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.

Conclusion.

The production of salt is a totally natural process since there are also two fundamental elements that play an important role, on the one hand, the sun since it acts as a water heater and on the other hand, the wind that removes the steam from the water making it rise over the lagoons.

references

Mexican
Salt Industry Association. (s. a.). Salt Production. Retrieved September 22,
2020 from: http://www.amisac.org.mx/produccion/
G.
M. (2014) The Industrialization of the Salinas del Peñón Blanco case Laguna de
Santa María. Retrieved September 22, 2020 from: http://www.amisac.org.mx/historia/