The world market for salt is forecast to grow fast, a newly released report by Roskill reveals. Salt is used to produce chlorine, caustic soda and a range of other chemicals required by industry.
Roskill reports the Chinese chemical sector will continue to drive demand for high purity salt to 2027, and will be a major factor driving future projects in Asia and India.
By 2027, Asia is forecast to account for 53% of global demand, up from 47% in 2016. The Chinese chloralkali industry will be the key driver of this growth, Roskill reports. Chloralkali is an industrial process for the electrolysis of sodium chloride, and the technology is used to produce chlorine and sodium hydroxide (caustic soda). Chloralkali production is the largest end-use for salt, accounting for 36% of world consumption in 2017.
World salt exports rose to 64 million tonnes in 2017, up 10 million tonnes from 2016 World salt exports rose to 64 million tonnes in 2017, up 10 million tonnes from 2016 and early data for 2018 indicates that annual trade in salt may rise to a forecast 68 million tonnes. Most of the increase was from Australia and South Asia, where Indian exports grew by 3.6 million tonnes from 7.3 million tonnes in 2016 to 11.1 million tonnes in 2017. Much of the increase in Indian shipments went to China, Roskill reports.
Access the full report here.