Caustic Soda Pearls
Caustic soda pearls (also known as sodium hydroxide, caustic soda, NaOH, sodium hydrate, or Sodagrain) are white spheres of caustic soda with a barely perceptible odour. They are soluble inside water, by means of the liberation of heat, and are stable under standard conditions.
Caustic soda is a strong base and, as such, has many applications inside industries all over the world, both now as well as in the past. It is one of the oldest manmade chemicals with excavations inside Egypt showing samples of it dating from 3000 B.C.
Production
Caustic soda is created all around the earth with world production standing at approximately 59 million tonnes per annum (inside 2008). Virtually all producers utilize the chloralkali process which includes the electrolysis of sodium chloride using single of three cell types: mercury, diaphragm, or membrane. If this procedure is used, 1.1 tonnes of caustic soda can be produced to each tonne of chlorine.
Storage and Distribution
Caustic Soda Pearls are stored and transported in 25 kg woven bags with a PE liner. For transportation purposes they are classed the same as packing group II, hazard class 8 and they are corrosive and can cause burns. They have a specific gravity of 2.13.
Uses
Caustic soda pearls are an important inorganic chemical as they are used inside numerous industries worldwide. The highest requirement for caustic soda comes from the paper industry where it is utilised inside pulping and bleaching procedures. They are also in demand in the aluminium industry as the caustic soda dissolves bauxite ore, which is the raw material in aluminium production. An additional main use for caustic soda is chemical processing as caustic soda is a necessary feedstock for a variety of down-stream products including solvents, plastics, fabrics, adhesives etc.
Caustic soda pearls are also used inside soap production as they engender saponification of the vegetable oils or fats that are necessary for soap manufacture. They also have in role in the natural gas industry where sodium hydroxide is used to support produce and process petroleum products. Caustic soda can also be employed in the textile industry where it is used in the chemical processing of cotton.
Caustic Soda Pearls also has small scale applications. It can also be used for aluminium etching, chemical analysis, and inside paint stripper. It is also a component inside a range of domestic products including pipe and drain cleaner, oven cleaner, and in home-cleaning products.
