Page 177 - CW E-Magazine (9-4-2024)

Salt Expo & ICASMC 2024

“With the global demand for pharma necks for moving salt across the globe. battery that has four times the capacity
grade sodium chloride on the rise, it “We should explore the development of of lithium, we must venture to create
is imperative that key stakeholders sustainable transport solutions such as partnership that will result in driving
actively collaborate to ensure stable electrification of transportation fleets, clean energy innovation the world
supplies,” he said and called for esta- utilisation of renewable energy in yearns for,” he stated.
blishing a global consortium of salt pro- logistics, and implementation of smart
ducers, distributors and pharmaceutical logistics system to optimise routes and Mr. McKorley urged CSMCRI to
companies to foster knowledge sharing, reduce carbon emissions,” he said. look beyond production of salt and
streamline supply chains and mitigate increasing capacities, to technologies
potential shortages. Expanding market opportunities for batteries and enhancing benefits of
The emergence of new salt sources salt. “Harnessing solar salt and marine
To overcome the challenges faced from brine mining and brine recovery chemical technology hold immense
by the Indian salt industry, he pointed presents both challenges and opportu- promise to sustainable salt production
to the need to embrace technological nities, he said. and resource recovery. I recommend
advancements. “The industry should supporting R&D initiatives to improve
invest in research and development to “I propose exploring partnership the efficiency and scalability of solar
develop innovative salt harvesting tech- with brine mining companies to tap salt production methods. Let us explore
nologies including automated mining, into this opportunity, while ensuring the utilisation of marine chemicals for
drone technology and advanced purifi- sustainable practices. Additionally, let value-added products such as the algae-
cation methods for ensuring enhanced us encourage the identification of inno- based biofuels or pharmaceutical grade
efficiency, productivity, and minimis- vative applications for salt production compounds derived from marine sources.
ing environmental impact,” he advised. beyond the traditional markets, such as By harnessing solar salt and marine
using salt as a renewable energy stor- chemicals, we can shape a future where
Mr. McKorley also underlined the age medium, or exploring its potential the salt industry thrives, meets global
need for sustainable transport solu- in the field of biotechnology. With a demand and ensures the well-being of
tions, as logistics is one of the bottle- breakthrough regarding the new sea salt our planet,” he concluded.

TECHNICAL SESSIONS
Experts discuss latest technology developments,

extended market opportunities and growth challenges

The conference witnessed experts governed by the solubility products of
from India and abroad speaking on a the individual salts dissolved in it. The
wide range of topics including new principal impurities in the salt are diva-
developments in salt production tech- lent ions, mainly, calcium and magne-
nologies; need for scientific design & sium cations and sulphate anion. It
mechanisation of solar salt works; envi- has been the conventional belief that
ronmental issues in salt industry; brine Indian salt is less pure than that pro-
purification methodologies; edible duced by countries such as Australia
salt dynamics; saline waste manage- and Mexico.
ment; value-addition in solar salt works
through bittern utilisation, recovery of Dr. Kumar pointed out that the
bulk chemicals such as potassium and Dr. Arvind Kumar through a series of inventions over the
magnesium chemicals and trace metal field incorporates the progressive eva- last several years, CSMCRI has en-
ions like lithium and uranium. poration and concentration of brine in abled vast improvements in the quality
specially designed solar pans. During of solar salt and now salt of over 99.5%
In his address, Dr. Arvind Kumar, this process of evaporation of brines, purity, with extremely low levels of cal-
Chief Scientist, CSMCRI, informed a series of salts crystallise out in the cium, magnesium, sulphates and other
that the basic operation of a solar salt concentration ponds, the process being impurities, can be obtained directly in

Chemical Weekly April 9, 2024 177

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