Characteristics of inorganic salt industry

Compared with sulfuric acid industry, soda ash industry, chlor-alkali industry and chemical fertilizer industry in inorganic chemical industry, inorganic salt industry has the following characteristics:

① Countries with more varieties and more developed industries have more varieties of inorganic salts, such as more than 900 in the United States, more than 500 in Japan and more than 500 in China. Many of these products have different specifications and brands.

(2) The product has a wide range of applications and a complex consumption structure. Inorganic salt industrial products are widely used. For example, it is used as trace element fertilizer, herbicide, insecticide and bactericide in agriculture; Used as bleaching agent, sizing agent, quality improver, food additive, preservative and bactericide in textile industry; Used as flocculant and corrosion inhibitor in water treatment; Used as additive, deoxidizer, rust inhibitor and flux in metallurgical industry; Used as lubricant, surface treatment agent, carburizing agent and boronizing agent in mechanical industry; Components used as signal flares, radiation protection materials and some device materials in military industry; Used as propellant, oxygen generator and ablative material in aerospace and navigation industries; Used as catalyst, additive, filler, reinforcing agent, medicine, chemical reagent, coating, anticorrosive material, etc. In the chemical industry. An industry often needs a variety of inorganic salt products, such as 7 ~ 8 kinds of matches and 70 ~ 80 kinds of color TV sets. Inorganic salt products can be used in many industries. For example, sodium dichromate can be used in leather, textile, electroplating, basic organic chemicals, pigments, spices, oils, matches, wood and other industries, which are related to thousands of commodities.

③ Various processing methods Most minerals are raw materials of inorganic salt industry. Usually, each mineral has many types, and each type of mineral often has many processing methods. A variety is formed with many raw materials, and a raw material has the characteristics of many processing methods. Almost all the reaction processes, unit operations and equipment are applied to the inorganic salt industry.

④ The production scale is small, and the yield of a single variety is not large. Most factories are small and medium-sized enterprises. The only inorganic salt products with annual output exceeding 1Mt in the world are sodium silicate, aluminum sulfate, sodium sulfate, borax, boric acid, yellow phosphorus, phosphoric acid, sodium tripolyphosphate, carbon disulfide and calcium carbonate. These bulk products are the most important products in the inorganic salt industry. Although the output of some products is small, it is very important. For example, the annual output of iodine in the world is only about 10kt, but it is widely used. Although the output of many catalysts and carriers is small, their products have high added value and are necessary for many chemical reactions.