Salt is used in industrial, agricultural and household salt products.
In solar plants, molten salt storage systems are used so that solar generated power can be stored, and thus limiting the intermittent nature of solar energy.
Salt is also used in the production of chlorine, caustic soda, hydrogen and sodium. Salt are in plastics, so you will find it in cables and components of cars. Salt is even used in offshore drilling rigs to steer the drills.
Many food on supermarket shelves contains salt when you inspect the ingredients table of such products. Salt is also used in animal feed and as ingredient in fertilisers. Salt also plays a role as a preservative in meat and fish.
The Brandvlei area is ideally suited for salt production, as the underground saline water supplies high quality in high quantities. The salt concentration in seawater is about 9%. The Brandvlei salt concentration is a staggering 97%. This is more more than 10 times saltier than seawater!
Interesting facts:
- Roman soldiers were paid a portion of their salary in salt. This adds meaning to the words of being worth your salt.
- In Botswana, NE of the Kalahari Desert and SE of the Okavango Delta lies one of the worlds largest salt pans, once one of the largest inland seas on earth. (Image below)
- Saltcor as example, started their business near Brandvlei in 1975. They are a leading producer of industrial, agricultural and household salt for the South African and export markets.
Salt works near Loch Maree
This salt pan as example has a circumference of 24km, which is covered in a 1m deep crust of salt. It contains an estimated 9million tons of salt and is commercially worked.
