Soda Ash

Soda ash (sodium carbonate) is a critical raw material used in the production of glass, detergents, chemicals, lithium compounds, and a wide range of industrial products. As demand for soda ash continues to increase, producers are challenged to maintain efficient operations while managing freshwater consumption, wastewater generation, and rising environmental compliance requirements.

The production of soda ash often generates saline and mineral-rich wastewater streams that can be difficult to treat using conventional technologies. At the same time, growing pressure to reduce freshwater consumption, minimize liquid discharge, and recover valuable resources is driving the adoption of advanced brine concentration solutions. By increasing water recovery, reducing wastewater volumes, and enabling the capture of reusable salts and minerals, modern membrane-based technologies can enable soda ash producers to improve resource efficiency, lower operating costs, and support sustainability objectives.

In 2021, FTS H2O deployed a RecovOAR™ pilot system at Saudi Arabia’s Jubail seawater desalination hub, one of the largest desalination facilities globally. The facility produces over 1.4 million m³/day of potable water, along with a massive volume of high-salinity brine, representing an opportunity for resource recovery. Over three years of continuous operation, the system enabled the production of sodium chloride from concentrated seawater through the use of Osmotically Assisted Reverse Osmosis (OARO). With RecovOAR™, the plant delivered a recovery rate of 75-78%, producing 0.5 m³/h of high-purity brine and achieving a 5.7-fold reduction in volume, with an energy consumption of <10 kWh/m³ of permeate produced.

Explore the strategic expertise FTS H2O brings to the table, unlocking solutions that not only overcome your unique challenges but also extract significant value from your wastewater management processes.