Brine is a solution formed by high concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl), a common salt, in water (H2O). It can be found in natural conditions such as lakes, rivers, and seas where evaporation or freezing increases this salt concentration. However, you can discover brine suppliers to be used in industry or everyday life because the diversity of its properties favors its wide application.
The salt concentration in this type of solution can reach 100 g of salt per liter of water. Thus, among the natural brines, we can find the Dead Sea with a salt content that can be ten times higher than that typically found in the sea. Another illustrative example is the Great Salt Lake in Utah.
Three types of brines are used:
- An aqueous solution of inorganic salts is calcium chloride, sodium chloride, or sodium dichromate. For shallow temperatures, eutectic mixtures are used.
- An aqueous solution of organic compounds, such as alcohols and glycols: ethanol, methanol, ethylene glycol, and propylene glycol are the most frequent.
- Chlorinated or fluorinated hydrocarbons and halocarbons. [citation needed].
Brine differs from brackish water in that the latter has a lower salt concentration. It is a homogeneous solution.
These high concentrations of the solute are harmful and poisonous to living beings, in many cases preventing the presence of life, a condition used to preserve food from decomposition by microorganisms.
Other saline solutions at high concentrations are called brine, calcium chloride brine, and sodium dichromate brine. Because of its properties, it is a wide net of brine suppliers in the industry and the daily life of humanity:
The brine solution served as a medium for developing the voltaic pile.
In refrigeration systems, as a heat transfer medium, it is used as a secondary refrigerant due to its low freezing point (solidification).
To melt snow on roads.
For the purification and cleaning of the salt itself, it is used for human consumption or needs to be purified due to subsequent use. First, the brine is passed through a purification process. Then the water is evaporated to obtain solid NaCl for human consumption or another service in which this compound is needed in its pure state as a chemical reagent.
In the food industry: To preserve and cure certain food products, as a culinary element, in the preservation of food, this being a practical and economical method, while providing flavor, exerts a preservative effect and influences the texture. For example, stored in brine jars, pickles are made.
In the past, sailors used it to harden/tan the skin of their hands.
Together with steam, it can generate a motor fluid to drive turbines and generate electricity.
In oil well stimulation processes: Among the industrial uses of brine, we highlight its broad utility in decalcifying and maintaining procedures for soap making, bleach synthesis, or petrochemicals. However, it is also a precious commodity in the manufacture of pickles, dairy products, seafood, or food preservation.
Brine suppliers are carried out by tanker trucks or tanks, always providing personalized service to the customer. In this way, it is the driver himself who is in charge of dosing the product, facilitating the cost and speed of the process.