Cradle to Gate
Identity ID
df328809-1364-42c1-93f5-09b700f1777b
Materials
Associated ID
0f222804-f304-4dac-b987-efdfbde23475
Included activities starts
Included activities ends
Description
Sodium bicarbonate is commonly used in fields such as food, pharmaceuticals and households; the dataset contains the main raw and auxiliary materials, energy and atmospheric emissions of the production process, and infrastructure such as the manufacture of production equipment and the construction of plant buildings is not included within the dataset boundary; since the soda-ash-process sodium bicarbonate workshop is usually combined with other production workshops that generate large amounts of carbon dioxide, all carbon dioxide used in the sodium bicarbonate production process is considered to be recovered from other workshops, for example the sodium metabisulfite production workshop; in this dataset, sodium bicarbonate is modelled as a pure substance, and when modelling this substance in solution the user needs to add a solvent of their choice in the model. the data inventory is formed by merging data from multiple sources; the production activities of this product mainly include two stages: carbon dioxide absorption and the separation and drying of sodium bicarbonate.
Activity Description
The production activities of this product mainly include carbon dioxide absorption and baking soda separation and drying.
Process Description
Sodium bicarbonate (CAS number 144-55-8) is a white crystalline powder with the chemical formula NaHCO3, commonly known as baking soda. It is stable at ambient temperature but gradually decomposes above 50°C to form sodium carbonate, water, and carbon dioxide. It is readily soluble in water and forms a mildly alkaline solution. Its vigorous reaction with acids releases carbon dioxide, making it a common raw material for leavening agents and fire-extinguishing agents. In the food industry, it is widely used to leaven baked goods such as bread and biscuits. It is also used as an antacid in pharmaceuticals and for household cleaning and deodorizing.
Time period
2016
2026
Geography
China
Macroeconomic value
Business-as-Usual
Data validation
Yes
Technology
Frontier technology
Technology comment
In the Chinese market, the production of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) mainly employs three processes: the soda ash method, the trona method, and the metathesis method (ammonium bicarbonate method). The principle of the soda ash method is the reaction of sodium carbonate (soda ash) with carbon dioxide to produce sodium bicarbonate: Na₂CO₃ + CO₂ + H₂O → 2NaHCO₃. The reaction process is as follows: CO₂ is blown into the absorption tower from the bottom and reacts countercurrently with the alkali solution sprayed from the top of the tower to generate NaHCO₃ crystals. The reaction slurry is then centrifuged, and the wet material is conveyed by an auger to a drying tube to obtain high-purity baking soda.