CHIMBORAZO POLYTECHNIC HIGH SCHOOL

INDUSTRIAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

REPORT OF THE TECHNICAL VISIT TO THE COMPANY: ECUASAL

1. OBJECTIVES
1.1 GENERAL
Conduct a technical visit to the company ECUASAL touring its
facilities to complement the theory learned in the classroom.
1.2 SPECIFIC
Understand the process necessary for the production of table salt.
Evaluate qualitatively the environmental impact produced by this.
company.
Determine the importance of the company's geographical location.

2. INTRODUCTION

Illustration 1 ECUASAL Logo

2.1 HISTORICAL REVIEW

1965
The land in Mar Bravo is acquired for the construction of the first floor in
Salinas.
1968
The refining and iodination facilities are inaugurated at the plant located at KM
12.5 via Daule.
1972
The first advertisement of CRIS-SAL goes on the air.
1981
The capacity of the GYE refinery is increased from 10 to 20 tons/hour.
1984
The program for the iodization of salt begins through the project: 'Fight
operational against endemic goiter and cretinism.
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INDUSTRIAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
1985
The NTE INEN 57 Quality Seal is obtained.
1993
The Ecuadorian government honors ECUASAL for its contribution to the project: "Fight
operational against endemic goiter and cretinism. UNICEF recognizes the contribution of
ECUASAL by this program.
1996
Production of CRIS-SAL Iodized and Fluoridated Salt begins, by order of
Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador.
2001
ECUASAL launches its new salt shakers on the market.

2007
The ECUASAL pools are declared the first refuge for migratory shorebirds.
in ECUADOR.
2009
ECUASAL acquires the quality enhancement plan seal: 'Much better!'
it is made in ECUADOR.
2015
INEN issues the Certificate of Conformity (Scheme 5) under NTE INEN regulations.
57:2010.
2016
ECUASAL renews its packaging for the CRIS-SAL brand and launches its new product to the market.
PRODUCT SALT FLOWER. We obtained KOSHER certification.

2.2 BASIC CONCEPTS

2.2.1 Evaporation
Evaporation is a physical process that involves the slow and gradual transition.
from a liquid state to a gaseous state, after having acquired enough
energy to overcome surface tension. Unlike boiling, the
Evaporation can occur at any temperature, being faster
the higher this is. It is not necessary for the entire mass to reach the
boiling point. When there is a free space above a liquid,
a part of its molecules is in gaseous form, when equilibrated, the amount
the gaseous matter defines the saturation vapor pressure, which does not depend
of the volume, but it varies according to the nature of the liquid and the temperature.

2.2.2 Crystallization
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INDUSTRIAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
Separation technique of solutions in which conditions are adjusted
in such a way that only some of the solutes can crystallize remaining
the others in the dissolution. This operation is often used in the
industry for the purification of substances that, generally, are
obtained accompanied by impurities.

2.2.3 Evaporation of brine

It is based on the evaporation of an increasingly saline solution.
concentrated until the salt precipitates to the bottom. To achieve evaporation, one must
they usually use natural means such as the solar evaporation, or else
artificial as it can be the cooking in special pans. Seawater
it is an inexhaustible source of salt since approximately 2.7% (by weight) is
NaCl, or in other words, 78 million metric tons per kilometer
cubic meter of seawater, which provides this method with a cheap and
inexhaustible salt [2].

3. DEVELOPMENT
In the equator, salt production takes place in the coastal cities of
our country, being Salinas, receiving its name due to the existence of the
mining salt pools most important for the quantity and especially the quality of salt in
grain that is extracted from the waters of the sea. Ecua salt is the company in charge of the
extraction and distribution of granulated salt in the country of Ecuador. It was founded
in1961, in order to producesaltedyfluorinatedand is located by the sea,
surrounded by various species of birds due to its geographical location and the
favorable environmental conditions created as a consequence of the swimming pools of
salt. It is in this sector where the extraction of sea salt is carried out through the stages
evaporation, crystallization, decantation, collection, and distribution[ CITATION
vis13 \l 12298 ].

The first step in the extraction process is obtaining the raw material.
in this case it is the seawater that is collected directly from the sea by means of
pipes leading to the evaporation ponds. The evaporation is
carried out completely naturally, where by the action of solar radiation
the evaporation of water is achieved, leaving brine as the body of water.
concentrated since, by removing a significant amount of water, it increases the
amount of solute in the pools. Ecua sal has a number of 15
evaporators and occupies an area of more than 7 hectares just in its evaporator
bigger.

3.1 Flow diagram of evaporation and crystallization

 Chimborazo Polytechnic School
INDUSTRIAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

CONTINUES TO
START 1 decanter

BOMBING NO
IT HAS DENSITY
CIRCULATION OF REQUIRED
brine

FILLING OF CRYSTALLIZERS
MEASUREMENT BY PUMPING
WEEKLY OF
DENSITIES AND
LEVELS OF
EVAPORATION
MEASUREMENT
WEEKLY OF
DENSITY AND
LEVELS OF
DENSITY AND LEVELS EVAPORATORS
THEY ARE INSIDE THE

REGULATE THE STEP NO PARAMETERS? NO

OF WATER

YES 1 THE DENSITY AND LEVELS

THEY ARE INSIDE OF THE
YES PARAMETERS?
IS IT THE LAST
EVAPORATOR? YES

NO
DRAIN BRINE FROM
NO CRYSTALLIZER
CONTINUE TO THE NEXT ONE
EVAPORATOR
IS STARTED
END HARVEST?
 CHIMBORAZO POLYTECHNIC HIGH SCHOOL
INDUSTRIAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

3.2 Flowchart of the harvesting process

START

Throw away brine NEXT CRYSTALLIZER

CONTROL OF
TAKE SALT SAMPLE QUALITY

SCARIFY THE HARVESTED SALT

NO

COLLECT THE SCARIFIED SALT

IT'S OVER
THE HARVEST?
NO YES
USE IN MAINTENANCE OF
Is the salt clean?
THE WAYS

YES turn the filth, take out the mud,

LEVEL FLOOR OF
LOAD THE TRUCKS
CONTROL CRYSTALLIZER
NUMBER OF TRAVELS
AND WEIGHT OF THE Transport to the battery
Dump trucks NO

HILL WITH THE LOADER

YES END
Did it finish?
TO HARVEST IT
CRYSTALIZER?
 CHIMBORAZO POLYTECHNIC HIGH SCHOOL
INDUSTRIAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

ACHIEVED GOALS
After observing the process of extracting sea salt, the importance has been seen
what the sea provides us and from it, the salt. Its extraction is relatively simple since
It is a natural process that consists of 5 stages, these being evaporation, decantation,
crystallization, collection, and packaging. Additionally, it has been analyzed that the treatment
Salt can result in other products like fleur de sel which can be
marketed. This country has the advantage of being surrounded by coastlines that provide us
they provide the ease of obtaining salt and it is in turn a benefit for the economy of
Ecuador as there is no need for an international purchase of salt.

conclusions
A technical visit was made to the company ECUASAL touring its
facilities to complement the theory learned in the classroom.
The necessary process for the production of table salt was understood.
this being the pumping of brine to the company's pools where
subsequently, evaporation and crystallization will take place, finally a
stored outdoors to be sent to the refining center.
The environmental impact produced by this was evaluated qualitatively.
company, resulting in a very low (almost nil) environmental impact
as its own slogan describes it, "WE ARE PART OF THE
NATURE
The importance of the company's geographic location was determined,
concluding that it is of utmost importance because it is in this area
waterfront where it hardly rains during most of the year so that it does not affect
to the evaporation process of brine.
6. ANNEXES
 CHIMBORAZO HIGHER POLYTECHNIC SCHOOL
INDUSTRIAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

ANNEX I

a)

HIGHER POLYTECHNIC SCHOOL OF

NOTES: DIAGRAM CATEGORY: CHIMBORAZO REPORT OF THE TECHNICAL VISIT TO THE
FACULTY OF SCIENCES ECUASAL
a. Evaporation pools Approved Preliminary SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
b. Crystallization pools Certificate To approve
Information For qualification PREPARED BY: SHEET SCALE DATE
JOSE DANIEL RODRIGUEZ

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 CHIMBORAZO POLYTECHNIC HIGH SCHOOL
INDUSTRIAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

ANNEX II

c) d) e)

HIGHER POLYTECHNIC SCHOOL OF

NOTES: DIAGRAM CATEGORY: CHIMBORAZO
FACULTY OF SCIENCES REPORT OF THE TECHNICAL VISIT TO THE
c. Group photo outside the facilities of Approved Preliminary SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING ECUASAL
ECUASAL Certificate To approve
d. Grain salt pile Information To qualify PREPARED BY: PLATE SCALE DATE
e. Group photo in the pile of grain salt JOSE DANIEL RODRIGUEZ

2 1:1 2019/06/13