Trona mining on Lake Magadi

Location

L.Magadi is 120km S.W of Nairobi on the floor of the Great Rift Valley.

Occurrence

Trona deposits occur as a solution of sodium salts the main ones being sodium
sequicarbonate and sodium chloride.

Mode of Formation

• Rain water dissolves soda salts in volcanic rocks.
• The solution percolates through the rocks and soil and gets beneath the
• basin.
• The accumulated solution is heated by the hot rocks beneath.
• Pressure builds up and the heated solution is pushed to the surface.
• It comes out of the ground inform of hot springs below or on the sides of the lake.
• Due to high temperature water evaporates leaving behind crystals of trona.

Extraction and Processing

• A dredger scoops trona out of the lake.
• It crushes it into smaller pieces and separates it from rock debris.
• The material is mixed with water to form slurry and transported to factory on the lake’s shore.
• In the factory the slurry is mixed with water to wash out impurities such as mud and salt and dried.
• It is sent to desiccators and heated to remove moisture and hydrogen to form soda ash.
• Soda ash is cooled and ground into powder and sieved.
• It’s packed into paper bags, weighed and transported to the market.

Uses of Soda ash

Used in the:

• Glass industry in the manufacture of glasses and bottles.
• Manufacture of soaps and detergents.
• Softening water in paper making.
• In textile industry.
• In oil refining.

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