What is soda ash and where does it come from?
Soda ash is a chemical (anhydrous sodium carbonate, Na2CO3), produced from a mineral called trona. The largest trona deposit in the world is located in the Green River Basin, Wyoming, where OCI mines and refines trona into soda ash. Soda ash is a basic product of the Alkali industry (various applications of glass manufacturing) and the chemical industry. Today, soda ash consistently ranks among the top ten inorganic chemicals produced in the US. Thirty-five percent of the soda ash produced in the U.S. is used to make a variety of glass, 45% is exported throughout the world, and 20% is used to produce chemicals like sodium phosphates and silicates. The remaining production is used primarily in powdered laundry detergents, pulp and paper applications and in water treatment facilities.
