Caustic soda or Caustic Soda Prill or Caustic Soda Flakes is also known as sodium hydroxide(NaOH) and Lye. This name is given because of the corrosive nature of the salt on plant tissues and animals. It is a versatile alkali. It is an extremely alkali and caustic base that deteriorates proteins at ordinary ambient temperatures and also causes serious chemical burns. Sodium hydroxide is a white solid ionic compound comprise of hydroxide anions OH- and sodium cations Na+. Application & Usage: In the Paper Industry, caustic soda is normally in the form of lye to separate the lignin that ties the fibers in the chemical pulping process. It is also used for paper recycling operations. In the refining of edible oil, sodium hydroxide is utilized as a neutralizer to remove free fatty acids that can give the oil an annoying taste. In the Petroleum Processing refineries, caustic soda is used for an alkalinity source in the liquid scrubbing of Sulphur dioxide in flue gases manufacture from crude-oil-fired steam generators used in thermally enhanced oil recovery. It allows the SO2 scrubber to run at a lower pH with a higher SO2 removal proportion. This process is called desulfurization. In the mining and refining, the alumina is manufactured from bauxite, it is an ore that is extracted from topsoil in different tropical and subtropical regions using The Bayer he Bayer. To extract alumina, bauxite is crushed, washed, and dried. After that, it will be dissolved with sodium hydroxide at very high temperatures. Alumina is extracted in the form of sodium aluminate. To produce aluminum it required multiple processes to get that. In the water treatment process, Caustic soda is very helpful in the pH neutralizing and adjustment of water streams. It is also used to raise the pH of water supplies. In different industries, sodium hydroxide is often used as a cleaning agent. Especially for sterilization and cleaning of bottles in the beverage industry. In chemical processing, caustic soda(NaOH) is used for delivering sodium to its final form and reactive agent in the production process and for many various purposes. It is also used to produce silicates and meta-silicates, bleach, fibers, also in food processing.
