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    The Chlorine tree

    The Chlorine tree

    Explore many applications of chlorine chemistry in the chlorine tree

    The Chlorine Industry Review

    The Chlorine Industry Review

    The reference publication for the European chlor-alkali industry

    Chlorinated Paraffins Video

    Chlorinated Paraffins Video

    Chlorinated paraffins are interesting molecules. See in this video why

    How we dig the salt up

    Huge machines with sharp rotors tunnel their way through the rock salt. An automatic electrohydraulic drilling machine bores rows of holes about 14 meters deep into the ceiling. They are then filled with explosives which are detonated once all the workers leave the mine. The crushed rock salt is then transported by conveyor belt to the shaft where it is sent to the surface. In underground salt mines, sometimes hundreds of meters under the surface, salt is transported to the conveyor belts with heavy vehicles - Picture courtesy of Kali&Saltz AG

    Germany is one of the world's main sources of salt. The country boasts one of the largest salt mines in Europe which is located in Borth. Subterranean deposits are estimated at more than 200,000 million tonnes.

    Another method of extracting salt is to pour hot water into underground salt plugs. The salt dissolves and the brine is pumped to the surface. The advantage of this method is that the extraction process can be regulated so that many of the impurities in the salt remain underground. The brine is concentrated by evaporation in large vacuum plants, yielding 99.9% pure salt.