Where Quality and Reliability Always Make Ma ke the Grade Gra de
The World Leader In Natural Soda Ash FMC Corporation is the world’s leading producer o natural soda ash, oering a secure, reliable, diverse range o high quality products. For over six decades, FMC has been a dependable source o high quality soda ash rom its acilities in Green River, Wyoming. Product quality, supply reliability, saety and customer service have been the hallmarks o our company’s reputation. FMC’s soda ash operations in Green River, home o the world’s largest deposits o trona ore, utilize a truly exceptional, multi-disciplined process, rom mining, manuacturing and product development all the way through product delivery. Constant innovation is part o our guiding philosophy. Through innovations in mining and processing trona ore into natural soda ash, FMC has become the industry leader. As the rst to produce a lower cost, environmentally riendly alternative to synthetic soda ash, FMC has built a solid track record o meeting the needs o customers in a wide range o industries such as glass manuacturing, detergent ormulation, chemical manuacturing, pulp and paper production, and water treatment. Our team o research specialists continues to develop innovative mining and processing techniques that are revolutionizing the way soda ash is produced, bringing this vital and versatile product to our customers in a more costeective, environmentally riendly manner.
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History Fity million years ago, southwestern Wyoming, including the land now occupied by FMC’s Green River acility, was covered by a landlocked lake. As the earth changed through the ages, the lake evaporated and let behind a 200-billion ton deposit o pure trona wedged between layers o clay and shale. This is the world’s largest known deposit o trona. Trona is a mineral that is chemically sodium sesquicarbonate, and is the source o both the sodium and the carbonate used to manuacture soda ash. This monumental deposit was rst mined by FMC in 1948. Today the mine, located 1,500 eet below the surace, contains nearly 3500 miles o tunnels and covers 36 square miles. In the early 1950’s, FMC began producing soda ash at the world’s rst natural soda ash processing plant. Since those pioneering days, FMC has become the largest producer o natural soda ash in the world.
Responsible Care, Sustainability & Safety
A prehistoric rock called trona. Trona, a mineral primarily containing sodium sesquicarbonate, is mined and processed into sodium carbonate, commonly known as soda ash, at our Green River acility. The origin o trona dates back ty million years, when the area was covered by the 600 square-mile landlocked inland sea Lake Goshuite. As the earth’s climate changed and water evaporated, trona was deposited. This process let behind more than 200 billion tons o trona wedged between layers o clay and shale. FMC’s acility at Green River sits atop a reserve o trona large enough to meet alkali demand or many decades to come.
FMC places the highest priority on our commitment to the environment and to the dedicated people who work at our acilities. FMC has a responsibility to protect the health and saety o our employees, business partners, neighbors and customers. Maintaining a sae and healthy work environment is paramount to the operation o our business. Protecting our most precious resource, our employees, prevents injury, which sustains the perormance o our business and maintains the tr ust o the communities in which we operate. Natural soda ash production is substantially less energy intensive and produces less harmul pollutants than synthetic methods. We strive continuously to incorporate saety and health into every part o our company’s work culture. FMC is engaging in sustainable innovation by maximizing the use o less toxic and saer materials in the design and development o new products; and where possible, working to replace existing products and chemistries with ones that are more benign or more benecial. FMC is a signatory to Responsible Care as set orth by the American Chemistry Council in the US and committed to complying with the seven unctional areas o Responsible Care: Pollution Prevention, Process Saety, Employee Health and Saety, Community Awareness and Emergency Response, Distribution Stewardship, Product Stewardship and Security.
Production Mining As you walk across the ground at our Green River acility, it’s hard to imagine the tremendous activity taking place beneath your eet. Fiteen hundred eet below the ground and accessed through one o several FMC mine shats, is an aroundthe-clock mining operation. FMC pioneered longwall mining or the natural soda industry by adapting this ecient coal mining technique to trona mining. A powerul longwall shearing machine moves along a 750 oot wide ace o the trona seam, removing trona with cutting drums. The recovered trona is then dropped onto a continuous conveyor system and moved to the surace. The longwall method extracts 50% more o the trona deposit than traditional mining methods.
FMC oers a wide variety o soda ash grades or a spectrum o applications and uses. By oering the broadest selection o grades, FMC provides our customers with exceptional application specicity and fexibility. FMC was the rst to produce light density soda ash and continues to oer the most natural grades available.
In addition to mechanical mining, FMC developed and patented solution mining technology. In our current implementation o this technology,water and insoluble tailings are injected into ‘mined out’ areas that still hold unrecovered trona. Water dissolves the residual trona,orming an alkali-rich solution which is then pumped back to the surace or processing. The result is a high-purity, low-cost soda ash that dramatically increases our ability to deliver value and volume to the world markets. Advanced mining techniques have been one cornerstone o our success. Over the years these methods have enabled FMC to stay a step ahead o the competition and economically expand our capacity to meet growing market demands. Manufacturing FMC’s Green River, Wyoming surace operation is the world’s largest natural soda ash acility. FMC has ve surace plants capable o producing nearly 5 million short tons o soda ash per year. FMC manuactures soda ash using three dierent processes. FMC’s proprietary sesquicarbonate “sesqui” processing method has been utilized by this acility since 1953. The sesqui process begins as trona ore is crushed and dissolved. The insolubles are separated and removed, and the trona is crystallized as pure sodium sesquicarbonate. Finally, these crystals are heated in calciners to produce soda ash. FMC’s patented monohydrate “mono” production method diers rom the sesqui process in that the order o processing is reversed. First the trona ore is heated and then it is dissolved. The insolubles are separated and removed, and the puried solution is sent to large evaporators where sodium carbonate monohydrate crystallizes out. Finally, the water is driven o to leave behind pure anhydrous soda ash cr ystals. FMC’s newest production method utilizes patented technology to make soda ash rom solution mined liquors. In this process the solution rom the mine is rst concentrated through evaporation. It is then reacted with lime to convert residual sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate. The carbonate goes through a two-step crystallization process to orm rst decahydrate crystals, and then monohydrate crystals. These are then calcined to produce soda ash.
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Applications Soda ash has been used in manuacturing or over 5,000 years. Ancient Egyptians recovered the product rom dr y lake-bed deposits or manuactured it by burning seaweed and other marine plants. This product was used to make glass ornaments and vessels. The Romans used soda ash or baking bread, making glass, and or medicinal purposes. Today, FMC supplies soda ash to a wide variety o industries. Glass Globally, about hal o all soda ash is consumed by the glass industry. Flat glass or autos, homes and buildings, and container glass or consumer products are the two largest segments. Other products include lighting, glassware, screens or consumer electronics and solar glass. Soda ash reduces the melting temperature o the sand used in glass ormulations and the alkali helps aid in the “workability” or orming o the glass article. FMC’s Grade 260 Dense Soda Ash particles are similar in size to silica sand, enabling the homogeneity o raw materials that is so important in producing a high quality nished product. Detergents Soda ash is widely used in soaps, detergents and other cleaning products. It is a good source o alkalinity or pH adjustment, a carrier o suractants and dyes and an e ective precipitating builder or removing hardness ions rom water. In the detergent manuacturing process, soda ash aids agglomeration and may be used to neutralize the acid orm o anionic suractants. It enables easier conveying and ideal suractant loading. Soda ash can also be hydrated to carry water as a ller and to enhance the storage and dissolving properties o the detergent. Soda ash is also an ideal high alkalinity builder or hard surace cleaning compounds and can be used as a source o alkalinity, buering agent or water conditioner in mildly concentrated liquid ormulations.
FMC’s expertise in natural soda ash production enables our customers to span diverse enduses. Soda ash is used in manuacturing glass containers, fat glass, berglass, chemicals, detergents and pulp and paper. Other applications include air and water treatment, mining, and petroleum production.
FMC is the only producer o two light density soda ash grades - Grade 100® and AbsorptaPlus®. These products nd extensive application in the detergent segment due to their high absorptivity characteristics. Grade choice depends on the detergent manuacturing process and the suractant level desired. Grade 100® soda ash is a standard in industrial and institutional ormulating due to its absorptive properties and ideal bulk density. AbsorptaPlus® has increased absorptivity and advanced processing characteristics. Chemicals Soda ash provides the sodium source or the manuacture o many materials including sodium percarbonate, sodium phosphates, sodium sulate, sodium sulte, sodium acetate, sodium nitrite, sodium silicate and sodium citrate. It is also used in the production o sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), which FMC manuactures as well. Soda ash can also be used as a unctional substitute or caustic soda in applications such as pH adjustment, acid neutralization, sodium chemicals manuacture, and pulp and paper processing.
Products FMC oers the widest var iety o natural soda ash grades. Customers can choose products suited or their unique applications based on bulk density, purity, and absorptivity characteristics. Dense Soda Ash
Grade 260 Standard dense soda ash Grade 160 Specialty dense soda ash with lower organic content
Packaging
FMC soda ash is available in bulk railcars and bulk hopper trucks, as well as 50 lb bags and supersacks o various sizes. We also oer customers the convenience and fexibility o mixed product truckloads with other alkali products produced at our Green River,WY manuacturing acility.
FMC pioneered solution mining used in both our Westvaco and Granger acilities. As the leader in trona mining and processing, FMC continues to develop innovative mining techniques and proprietary process equipment to provide an even more reliable and economical alkali supply.
Light Soda Ash
Grade 100® Light density soda ash with absorptive properties
Certifcations
ISO 9002, Responsible Care, AWWA, Kosher, Reach.
AbsorptaPlus® FMC’s most absorptive light density soda ash Grade 50 Light density soda ash with very ne particle size
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Responsible Care
OptiPro® Light density soda ash or industrial applications
FMC’s goal is to be our customers’ most valued supplier by providing the kind o customer service that steadily builds long-term relationships. FMC’s customers can expect personal interaction with an experienced, proessional team committed to understanding and meeting our customers’ needs beore, during and ater a sale.
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Tech Support & Engineering Services No one knows more about natural soda ash than a company who has been manuacturing, handling, and storing it successully or more than 60 years. FMC has a dedicated sales orce to provide general inormation regarding the use o soda ash. In addition, our Technical Services Group includes experts in all soda ash applications. They evaluate product perormance in new and specialized applications, research appropriate grades or various end uses, and provide technical troubleshooting service. Our Engineering Services Group will provide design and start-up support or a variety o soda ash storage and handling systems. Our philosophy is twoold. First, when you purchase FMC soda ash, we want it to go into your products as pure as the day it let our plant. Ideal handling and storage can assure this. Second, we believe this kind o support is necessary to orm the long-term partnership we desire with our customers.
Customer Support FMC’s goal is to be your most valued soda ash supplier by providing the kind o customer service that steadily builds long-term relationships. Our highly trained, experienced customer service group is committed to meeting every customer’s needs and nding solutions to any challenge. FMC owns one o the largest feets dedicated to soda ash service. Oering a customized supply chain or each customer, FMC’s supplychain expertise is one o the many value added services we provide to our customers.
Order Center Inormation technology allows us to process and track orders with great eciency. Our on-line customer service center has been designed to extend these same capabilities to our customers on an around-the-clock basis. Ater receiving secure access to FMC’s Order Center, you have the ability to: place, change, and conrm orders; view order status and history; obtain order-related documents such as an Order Conrmation, a Bill o Lading, a Certicate o Analysis, and an Invoice; request a sample; and track movement o railroad shipments. Vendor Managed Inventory For rail direct customers, FMC can even manage your inventory. We oer a Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) process whereby FMC actively monitors and manages customer inventory and supply chain through the use o a web-enabled system that integrates order inormation and real time railcar tracking. Our customers benet through reduced order planning and tracking, reduced working capital, and reduced costs, while assuring high supply reliability.
Logistics/Transportation Once you’ve placed your order, FMC’s goal is to make sure you receive it on time. FMC’s North American distribution system consists o a fexible network o transloaders and approved distributors across the country. The majority o FMC soda ash moves directly rom our plant to customers by rail. Our transportation department knows the shortest distance between two points and prides itsel on the ability to nd the least expensive and most reliable transportation mode and delivery route. Our experts can also provide a host o other services: •
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Freight rates and route analysis to help lower costs or improve service Access to on-line railcar location tracking to allow you to ollow your rail shipments en route
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Consultation on truck delivery options and methods
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International transportation, cost and service analysis
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Ocean carrier selection or on-time, economical delivery overseas
FMC is a ounding member o American Natural Soda Ash Corporation (ANSAC) which handles FMC’s exports and logistics to many parts o the globe. Unit trains are shipped rom Green River to ports or ocean voyage in dedicated soda ash vessels to points around the world.
FMC maintains its own feet o dedicated railcars to ensure product quality and reliable service. Our 5,100 cubic eet capacity cars are impressive with newly tted gates to saely speed up unloading, resist leakage, and support the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care initiatives. You will save both time and money with FMC’s easy to unload railcars.
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Always Making The Grade FMC Corporation is the world’s leading producer o natural soda ash oering a reliable supply o a diverse range o high quality product choices. FMC’s soda ash operations in Green River, Wyoming, home o the world’s largest deposit o trona ore, utilize a truly exceptional, multi-discipline process, rom mining, manuacturing and product development all the way through product delivery. Constant innovation is part o our guiding philosophy. FMC Corporation is one o the world’s oremost, diversied chemical companies with leading positions in agricultural, industrial and consumer markets. From our inception in 1883, FMC has been providing solutions to the world’s best companies and their customers. Today, we use an array o advanced technologies in research and development to improve the delivery o medications; enhance oods and beverages; power batteries; protect crop yields, structures and lawns; and advance the manuacture o glass, ceramics, plastics, pulp and paper, textiles and other products.
FMC Corporation 1735 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 ww w.f mc ch em ic al s. co m (215) 299.6000
FMC, AbsorptaPlus, Grade 100 and OptiPro are all trademarks o FMC Corporation. Copyright © 2012 FMC Corporation.
