Hands down, the number one question that I am asked regarding
natural resource extraction is: What is trona?
Trona is a little known but immensely important
hard rock mineral. Trona is a sodium carbonate compound mined
underground, then brought to the surface to be refined and
processed into soda ash or sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking
soda.
That means if you like to bake, like I do, you probably have a
box of trona from Wyoming sitting in your kitchen cabinet.
Not only is baking soda and all of the products that use baking
soda (tooth paste, laundry detergent, etc.) made from trona, but
trona is also heavily used in making glass; in fact, about half of
the soda ash produced is reportedly consumed in glassmaking. In
addition, trona is widely used in the manufacture of soap, paper,
and critically important chemicals, such as those used in
fertilizer and in water purification processes.
