Patent ID: 8372162

Claim:
A method of producing sodium carbonate decahydrate, comprising: providing a crystallization pond area; providing a liquor pond area situated in proximity to the crystallization pond area; providing an effluent comprising a sodium carbonate solution in water; introducing said effluent to the crystallization pond area to provide a pond solution comprising sodium carbonate; cooling the pond solution in the crystallization pond area by exposure to ambient temperature to provide cooling crystallization promoting conditions effective in forming crystals of sodium carbonate decahydrate and to form a crystalline sodium carbonate decahydrate deposit; stopping the flow of the effluent to the crystallization pond area during at least a portion of a time period wherein exposure of the pond liquor to ambient temperature no longer supports cooling crystallisation promoting conditions of sodium carbonate decahydrate; draining liquor from the crystallization pond area to the liquor pond area; and removing the crystalline sodium carbonate decahydrate deposit from the crystallization pond area.