Sodium Chloride

A common way to produce salt from brine is by evaporating the water using vacuum pans. In this method brine is boiled and agitated in huge tanks called vacuum pans. High quality salt cubes form and settle to the bottom of the pans. The cubes are then collected, dried and processed.

Solar evaporation of seawater to obtain salt is an old method that is widely used today. It uses the Sun as a source of energy. This method is successful in places that have abundant sources of salt water, land for evaporating ponds, and hot, dry climates to enhance evaporation. Seawater is passed through a series of evaporating ponds. Minerals contained in the seawater precipitate, or drop out of solution at different rates. Most of them precipitate before sodium chloride and therefore are left behind as the seawater is moved from one evaporating pond to another.