Patent ID: 6846417

Claim:
A process to make brine, by dissolving a NaCl salt source comprising a source of alkaline-earth metal sulfate in water, in the presence of at least one retarding agent to reduce the amount of alkaline-earth metal sulfate dissolved in said brine, wherein a co-retardant selected from the group consisting of flocculants, lignosulfonate polymers, (graft)copolymers of lignosulfonate and acrylic acid, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylamides, and biopolymers, and modified starch is used prior and/or during the dissolution step in an amount of from 0.1 mg/kg to 0.2 % by weight, based on the weight of the water, and wherein said at least one retarding agent has a performance such that a retardation of the dissolution (in g/l) is achieved of at least one of the alkaline-earth metal ions and/or sulfate ions of more than 20% when compared to a dissolution step wherein no retarding agent is used.