Stone salt halite: properties, description and scope

Rock salt (halite, Halite) is one of the most common minerals on earth. The chemical formula NaCl is sodium chloride. A substance of natural origin, the main deposits are concentrated in places where in ancient times there were seas and oceans. The formation of new deposits occurs constantly, saline lakes, seas, estuaries are potential deposits. At the moment, elite varieties of edible salt are mined in existing lakes, and the underlying reserves are the zone of galite formation.

Origin

Galite has surface and fossil deposits. Surface deposits are divided into ancient deposits and modern formations. The ancients are mainly represented by rock salt of sedimentary origin on the places of once existing bays, lakes, sea lagoons at a time when the planet was dry and very hot, which caused intensive evaporation of water.

Fossil deposits lie in strata, rods or domes under the surface of the earth in the environment of sedimentary rocks. The layers of fossil salt have a layered structure alternating with clay and sandstone. The dome arrangement of the halite is formed due to the movement of the rocks, when the overlying layers, moving, push out the softer deposits of rock salt into weakened zones, resulting in a dome. The size of the dome halite can reach several tens of kilometers.

Types of halite

Mineral halite is distinguished for primary and secondary. Primary received its education from the brine of ancient salt basins and has impregnations of other minerals. The secondary, later halite, was formed as a result of redeposition of the primary halite and is characterized by a high content of bromine.

Mineral of secondary origin has a transparent, coarse-grained structure and forms large nests in the thickness of rock salt. In the development of deposits, large halite nests of secondary origin are sometimes surprised by the beauty and clarity of the lines, the variety of the color palette. In stratified deposits, the halite is in the form of veins, while its structure is denser, white, sometimes peripheral endings are painted blue, which may indicate radioactivity.

Characteristics of the mineral

Galite has a glass shine, the hardness index is 2, the specific gravity of the mineral is 2.1-2.2 g / cm ³ . The crystals are white, gray, pink, blue, red / tinted or colorless. In bulk, the nugget can be painted in several colors. The crystalline halite is soldered in three directions of any face of the cube. In nature it occurs in the form of stalactites, druses, crystals, raids, rushes, etc.

The mineral has an ionic crystal lattice consisting of positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chloride ions. The taste is salty, has a solid structure, dissolves completely in water, giving a precipitate of impurities, with increased concentration precipitates in the form of crystals or flakes.

Place of Birth

The two largest world deposits of halite are located in the Volgograd region of the Russian Federation, one is located on Lake Baskunchak, the second - on Lake Elton. One of the long-open salt mines is the Sol-Iletskoye field in the Orenburg region and Usolskoye in Yakutia. In Ukraine, the Slavyan-Artemovsky and Prykarpatsky deposits are being developed.

Large reservoir deposits are located in Germany and Austria. In the United States, extensive reserves of halite are in the states of Kansas, Oklahoma and in the Saskatchewan basin in Canada.

Main application area

Salt halite is most often used as a reagent in the fight against ice on the roads. The climatic conditions of most of Russia are characterized by long periods of cold weather, precipitation, forming an ice shell. Given the length of the motorways, no technology is able to provide a quick cleansing of the roadway. Using mixtures based on halite helps to quickly and effectively cope with ice and ensure traffic safety.

Salt technical advantages galith has such:

• Ease, versatility of use.
• Preservation of reagent qualities at low temperatures (up to -30 ° C).
• Environmental Safety.
• Low consumption.
• Low cost.
• General availability.

Application Features

Treatment of the roadway with a reagent based on halite provokes the formation of gruel, which destroys the ice cake, tightly adhered to the asphalt. The disadvantage of the reagent can be considered the solidification of the entire mass (reagent and melted ice) at temperatures below -30 ° C.

For better cleaning of roads, salt halite is mixed with sand or stone crumb, which allows faster and better cleaning of the asphalt from the ice cover. According to the technical specifications, to clean one square meter of road requires no more than 150 grams of salt, which puts the mineral out of competition in comparison with other reagents. For domestic needs, especially in winter, you can purchase small packages of mineral reagent. Technical salt halite, the price of which varies in retail from 5 rubles per kilogram, copes well with the task.

Other areas of use

Salt technical (mineral halite) is used in industry in the following areas:

• Oil production. The main property of technical halite is dissolution of ice, softening of frozen or hardened soil. In winter or in the conditions of the Far North, a solution of mineral salt under pressure is pumped into drilled wells, which greatly facilitates further work and saves other resources.
• Tableted halite is used for washing industrial boilers, heating systems in order to get rid of scale. Also, this pressed mineral form is used as a filter element for cleaning large volumes of water, for example, at water wells. In addition to filtration, salt treatment removes water from the appearance of microbes and microorganisms. For domestic purposes it is used to reduce the hardness of hot water.
• Building. Salt halite is used in the production of silicate bricks to make the final product resistant to sudden temperature changes, strength characteristics are also increased and service life is extended. Brick with a salt additive in production has a lower cost price. Added to the cement mortar salt helps it to "grasp" faster, which speeds up the construction process and increases the durability, reliability of construction.

There are more than 14 000 regions in the world where technical salt (halite) is used. In medicine, it is used for the production of physiological solutions, antiseptics, preservatives of medicines. Technical salt has found application in the food industry as a refrigerant, which allows you to quickly freeze and store food at the appropriate temperature regime.

Implementation

In the implementation, three types of mineral are distinguished, the differences are in the characteristics:

• The highest grade - the content of sodium chloride should not be less than 97%, the content of foreign impurities is allowed not more than 0.85%.
• The first - not less than 90% of calcium chloride in the mass, the external impurities - 5%.
• The second - the minimum content of the main element should be about 80%, admixtures in the amount of 12% of the total mass are allowed.

The moisture content for any variety is regulated at the level of not more than 4.5%. From the grade depends the price at which the technical salt is released (halite). The price per ton of raw materials varies between 3,500-3,700 rubles (in packaging).

According to GOST, storage and tempering of the mineral are allowed in bulk, in tons, in polypropylene packages of various weights. At the same time, salt packed in bags has a limited shelf life - up to five years, whereas salt without packaging can be stored for a very long time.

Enterprises that develop deposits, carry out the implementation of the mineral wagon standards for wholesale buyers, which allows increasing production. According to the grade, the cost of such a mineral as salt (halite) is also determined. The price per ton for the implementation of wagons varies from 1400 to 2600 rubles.

In addition to technical applications, halite is sold as a necessary mineral supplement for animals, in this case, the pressed mineral is produced in briquettes.