A Correlative study of the rates of artificial evaporation of the brines of various saltpans of Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India

S. Betsy Bai and C. Vaithyanat

Abstract

Salt, an inexpensive and abundant commodity, plays a prominent role in the development of man’s activities. Exceeding sodium level in food causes hypertension, heart, liver and kidney diseases. The present paper focuses on the rates of evaporation and chemical parameters of salt obtained from both natural and artificial pans. A correlative study of the rates of artificial evaporation of the brines of various saltpans is presented here. The parameters studied are percentages of moisture content, insoluble impurities, calcium sulphate, magnesium sulphate, magnesium chloride and sodium chloride. The presence of heavy metals like zinc, copper, iron, cadmium and manganese was also analysed. The study unfolds the fact that the percentages of moisture content and insoluble impurities of the salt samples showed a marked difference. Other parameters were almost similar though salt was separated from different pans.