Sodium Carbonate Supply Chain - Executive Summary

Sodium Carbonate

Rw Material Direct Use Chemical Precursor Chemical

Na2C03
(solid)

Source of Raw Material:
Naturally occurring mineral

Derivative Water Treatment Chemicals:

Sodium Silicate

Sodium Orthophosphates

% of Total Domestic Consumption
Attributed to Water Sector:
Approximately 1%

fos Understanding Chemical Supply Chains
Map of Suppliers & Manufacturers

4L Product Family:
Sodium Carbonate

CAS No.: 497-19-8

2 Shelf Life:
6 Months

— RISK OF SUPPLY DISRUPTION (Assessed in 2022)

RISK RATING: Moderate-Low

e-Low Moder;

RISK DRIVERS

The U.S. is home to the world's
largest deposit of a natural
source of sodium carbonate.
Periodic price fluctuations and
increases have historically been
tied to fluctuations in demand
for glass from the auto and
construction industries and
demand on the international
market.

RISK PARAMETERS

Criticality: High. Essential for pH ad-
justment and production of chemi-
cals necessary for corrosion control.

Likelihood: Low. No history of previ-
ous disruptions that have impacted
the water sector.

Vulnerability: Moderate-Low.
Domestic production, though abun-
dant, is concentrated in two
geographic locations.

PRODUCTION PROCESS

Water T reatment Applications

Mining

Sodium Carbonate

Input	End Use

pH adjustment

Water treatment chemical production

Other Applications

Glassmaking
Chemical Manufacturing
Soaps and detergents
Flue gas desulfurization

DOMESTIC PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION, AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Domestic Production Locations (2019):
5, located in Wyoming and California.

(^) International Trade (2019)

Primary Trading Partner (Imports): Mexico
Primary Trading Partner (Exports): Mexico

Domestic Consumption (2019):
4,830 M kg

¦	Domestic Production (11,700 M kg)

¦	Imports for Consumption (115 M kg)

¦	Export of Domestic Production (7,020 M kg)

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Sodium Carbonate Supply Chain - Full Profile

Product Description

Sodium carbonate (Na2C03), also known as soda ash, is an inorganic salt widely used in the manufacture of glass,
detergents, soaps, and chemicals. It is used directly in water treatment and as an important raw material in the
production of other water treatment chemicals. The single largest use of sodium carbonate in the U.S. is for
glass manufacturing.

Use in Water Treatment

Sodium carbonate is used directly in water for pH adjustment and water softening (AWWA, 2008).

Use as a Precursor to Other Water Treatment Chemicals

Sodium carbonate is used to manufacture mono- and disodium orthophosphate and sodium silicate.

Other Applications

Sodium carbonate has a wide range of applications. The leading use of sodium carbonate is as a fluxing agent to
lower the melting temperature of silica in glassmaking processes. It is also widely used in chemical production
for soaps, detergents, and other chemicals, and desulfurization of flue gas from fossil-fuel power plants (USGS,
2022).

Primary Industrial Consumers

In 2019, glass manufacturing accounted for approximately 47% of total sodium carbonate consumed. The
chemical industry accounted for approximately 30% of total sodium carbonate sales. The remainder of 2019
domestic consumption includes: commercial market distributors, 6%; soaps and detergents, 6%; miscellaneous
applications, 5%; flue gas desulfurization, 4%; pulp and paper, 1%; and water treatment, 1% (USGS, 2021).

Manufacturing, Transport, & Storage

Manufacturing Process

Although much of the world's production of sodium carbonate is manufactured synthetically by reacting
ammonia dissolved in sodium chloride with carbon dioxide, the domestic commercial market has relied almost
exclusively on natural sources (i.e., trona) since 2000. Trona, a mix of sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate,
and water, is found in a rich deposit in Wyoming. The Green River Basin of Wyoming is home to the largest
natural deposits of trona in the world (USGS, 2022). There are two main methods of mining trona: longwall
mining method and room and pillar method. Once the trona has been mined, it is conveyed to the surface to be
processed into natural sodium carbonate. The trona is ground and calcined, followed by evaporation using
evaporative crystallizers to produce sodium carbonate monohydrate crystals. The crystals are concentrated,
dewatered, and dried in order to recover anhydrous sodium carbonate (NCBI, 2021).

Product Transport

Given the limited locations of sodium carbonate production (Wyoming and California), long-range shipping is a
crucial aspect of domestic supply (AWWA, 2008; Ciner, 2016; USGS, 2022).

Storage and Shelf Life

Sodium carbonate is stable and non-reactive over a wide range of temperatures, and should be stored in a cool,
dry environment. Exposure to high humidity may cause degradation of the product and conversion to sodium
bicarbonate. When stored properly, sodium carbonate can have a shelf life of approximately 6 months (AWWA,
2008; Solvay, 2017).

EPA 817-F-22-042 | December 2022

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Sodium Carbonate Supply Chain - Full Profile

Domestic Production & Consumption

Domestic Production

Production data was collected from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), while trade data was collected from the U.S.
International Trade Commission (USITC) Dataweb, as shown in Table 1. Both production and trade data are
specific to sodium carbonate.

Table 1. Sodium Carbonate Production and Trade Data Sources

Production and Trade Data

Category

Data Source

Identifier

Description

Domestic Production

U.S. Geological Survey

CAS No.: 497-19-8

Sodium Carbonate

Imports and Exports

U.S. International Trade Commission

HS Code: 2836.20

Sodium Carbonate

Total U.S. domestic production of sodium carbonate was approximately 11,700 million kilograms (M kg) in 2019
(USGS, 2021). There are five domestic manufacturing locations: four in Wyoming and one in California. The
world's largest deposit of trona is located in the Green River Basin of Wyoming. All five domestic production
locations are either partially or wholly owned by foreign sodium carbonate producers or consumers (USGS,
2022). A limited number of manufacturers dominate the worldwide production of sodium carbonate, including
three of the five domestic producers in the United States and multiple producers in China (USGS, 2022). While
US manufacturing relies solely on a natural source of sodium carbonate, industrial and commercial consumption
of imported synthetic sodium carbonate is prevalent as well. Additionally, a considerable amount of sodium
carbonate is generated during chemical manufacturing and subsequently used in a process rather than captured
for use as a distinct end product. The number of domestic manufacturing locations shown in Figure 1 represents
operating facilities as of 2019 (USGS, 2021). Supply of NSF/ANSI Standard 60 certified sodium carbonate for use
in drinking water treatment is widely distributed throughout the U.S. (NSF International, 2021). For a more
current listing of manufacturing locations and supplier locations, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's (EPA's) Chemical Locator Tool (EPA, 2022a).

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Sodium Carbonate Supply Chain - Full Profile

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Domestic Supply and Production of Sodium Carbonate
O 39 NSF/ANSI Standard 60 Certified Suppliers (NSF International, 2021)
• 5 Domestic Production Locations (USGS, 2019)

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Figure 1. Domestic Supply and Production of Sodium Carbonate
Domestic Consumption

U.S. consumption of sodium carbonate in 2019 is estimated at 4,830 M kg. This estimate includes production of
11,700 M kg, import of 115 M kg, minus export of 7,020 M kg (USGS, 2021), as shown in Figure 2.

• Domestic Consumption (2019):

4,830 M kg

¦	Domestic Production (11,700 M kg)

¦	Imports for Consumption (115 M kg)

¦	Export of Domestic Production (7,020 M kg)

Figure 2. Domestic Production and Consumption of Sodium Carbonate in 2019

Trade &Tariffs

Worldwide Trade

Worldwide import and export data for sodium carbonate are reported through the World Bank's World
Integrated Trade Solutions (WITS) software, as a category specific to sodium carbonate. In 2021, the U.S. ranked
first worldwide in total exports and 22nd in total imports of sodium carbonate. In 2021, Mexico ranked first

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Sodium Carbonate Supply Chain - Full Profile

worldwide in total imports of sodium carbonate (WITS, 2022), as shown in Table 2.
Table 2. WITS Worldwide Export and Import of Sodium Carbonate in 2021

2021 Worldwide Trade
Sodium Carbonate (HS Code 2836.20)

Top 5 Worldwide Exporters

Top 5 Worldwide Importers

United States

6,839 M kg

Mexico

1,368 M kg

Turkey

4,530 M kg

Indonesia

821 M kg

Bosnia Herzegovina

408 M kg

Germany

458 M kg

Kenya

303 M kg

Netherlands

420 M kg

Netherlands

109 M kg

Japan

253 M kg

Domestic Imports and Exports

Domestic import and export data are reported by USITC in categories specific to sodium carbonate. Figure 3
summarizes imports for consumption1 and domestic exports2 of sodium carbonate between 2015 and 2020.
During this period, the overall quantity of imports steadily decreased, with the greatest volume of imports
occurring in 2015; however the volume of exports remained relatively steady, and significantly larger than
imports. Over this five-year period, Mexico was the primary recipient of domestic exports and the primary
source of imports shifted from the United Kingdom in 2015 to Mexico beginning in 2018 (USITC, 2021).

Domestic Trade of Sodium Carbonate
8'000	HS Code 2836.20

7,000
6,000
5,000

3,000
2,000
1,000

2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020

I Imports from Mexico	¦ Exports to Mexico

I Imports from United Kingdom	¦ Exports to Indonesia

Imports from Other Countries	Exports to Other Countries

Figure 3. USITC Domestic Import and Export of Sodium Carbonate between 2015 and 2020

1	Imports for consumption are a subset of general imports, representing the total amount cleared through customs and entering
consumption channels, not anticipated to be reshipped to foreign points, but may include some reexports.

2	Domestic exports are a subset of total exports, representing export of domestic merchandise which are produced or manufactured in
the U.S. and commodities of foreign origin which have been changed in the U.S.

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Sodium Carbonate Supply Chain - Full Profile

Tariffs

There is a 1.2% general duty for import of sodium carbonate, and additional 25% duty on imports from China
(USITC, 2022), as summarized in Table 3.

Table 3. 2020 Domestic Tariff Schedule for Sodium Carbonate

HS Code

General Duty

Additional Duty - China
(Section 301 Tariff List)

Special Duty

2836.20

1.2%

25%

Free (A, AU, BH, CL, CO, D, E, IL, JO, KR,
MA, MX, OM, P, PA, PE, S, SG)3

Market History & Risk Evaluation

History of Shortages

There were no identified sodium carbonate supply disruptions between 2000 and 2022. The U.S. is home to the
world's largest deposit of a natural source of sodium carbonate. Periodic price fluctuations and increases have
historically been tied to fluctuations in demand for glass from the auto and construction industries, as well as
export volumes on the international market from the large sodium carbonate-producing countries, including the
U.S., Turkey, and China (USGS, 2022). Significant increases in price were noted as a result of reduced exports,
imports, and overall consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic (USGS, 2021).

Risk Evaluation

The complete risk assessment methodology is described in Understanding Water Treatment Chemical Supply
Chains and the Risk of Disruptions (EPA, 2022b). The risk rating is calculated as the product of the following three
risk parameters:

Risk = Criticality x Likelihood x Vulnerability
Criticality Measure of the importance of a chemical to the water sector

Likelihood Measure of the probability that the chemical will experience a supply disruption in the
future, which is estimated based on past occurrence of supply disruptions

Vulnerability Measure of the market dynamics that make a chemical market more or less resilient to
supply disruptions

The individual parameter rating is based on evaluation of one or more attributes of the chemical or its supply
chain. The ratings and drivers for these three risk parameters are shown below in Table 4.

3 Symbols used to designate the various preference programs and trade agreements. A full list of special trade agreements and
associated acronyms can be found at https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-310?language=en US and the General Notes Section of the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule https://hts.usitc.gov/current

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Sodium Carbonate Supply Chain - Full Profile

Table 4. Supply Chain Risk Evaluation for Sodium Carbonate

Risk Parameter Ratings and Drivers







ICriticality High

1 Likelihood Low



Sodium carbonate is essential for pH
adjustment and the production of
chemicals necessary for corrosion
control.

The water sector did not experience
sodium carbonate supply chain
disruptions between 2000 and 2022.
Periodic price increases have been
tied to fluctuations in demand from
the largest industrial consumer, the
glass industry.

The U.S. is a leading worldwide
producer of sodium carbonate and
currently has abundant domestic
supply and distribution. However, a
limited number of producers and
production locations are concentrated
to two geographic areas of the U.S.

Risk Rating: Moderate-Low

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References

American Water Works Association (AWWA), 2008. B201 Soda Ash. Denver, CO: American Water Works
Association.

Ciner, 2016. Safety Data Sheet for Soda Ash / Sodium Carbonate, retrieved from https://ciner.us.com/wp-
content/uploads/2016/10/SAFETY-Ciner-Soda-Ash-SDS-2016.pdf

EPA, 2022a. Chemical Suppliers and Manufacturers Locator Tool, retrieved from

https://www.epa.gov/waterutilityresponse/chemical-suppliers-and-manufacturers-locator-tool

EPA, 2022b. Understanding Water Treatment Chemical Supply Chains and the Risk of Disruptions, retrieved
from https://www.epa.gov/waterutilitvresponse/water-sector-supplv-chain-resilience

NSF International, 2021. Search for NSF Certified Drinking Water Treatment Chemicals, retrieved from
https://info.nsf.org/Certified/PwsChemicals/

Solvay Chemicals, Inc., 2017. Sodium Carbonate: Batch Numbering and Shelf Life, retrieved from
https://www.solvav.com/sites/g/files/srpend221/files/2019-

06/Soda%20Ash%20Batch%20Numbering%20and%20Shelf%20Life%20Statement%20-
%20Green%20River%20-%20US.pdf

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2021. Mineral commodity Summaries for Soda Ash, retrieved from
https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2021/mcs2021-soda-ash.pdf

U.S. Geological Survey, 2022. 2018 Minerals Yearbook: Soda Ash, retrieved from
https://pubs.usgs.gov/mvb/voll/2018/mybl-2018-soda-ash.pdf

U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), 2021. USITC DataWeb, retrieved from
https://dataweb.usitc.gov/

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Sodium Carbonate Supply Chain - Full Profile

U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), 2022. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) Search, retrieved from
https://hts.usitc.gov/

World Integrated Trade Solutions (WITS), 2022. Trade Statistics by Product (HS 6-digit), retrieved from
https://wits.worldbank.org/trade/countrv-byhs6product.aspx?lang=en#void

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