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Sodium bicarbonate

The proven solution for everyday life and household

Various ingredients for baking on a white wooden table, including baking powder or baking soda.

Sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO₃) is a fine, white, crystalline powder that is often used as a leavening agent. It is also used for many other purposes, including cleaning, deodorizing, dental care, and relieving heartburn.

What is Sodium Bicarbonate or Baking Soda?

Sodium hydrogen carbonate, also known as baking soda, sodium bicarbonate or colloquially as baking powder, is a versatile and widely used chemical compound with a variety of applications.

This white, crystalline powder has taken an important place in many areas of daily life due to its diverse properties.

In the food industry, sodium bicarbonate is an ingredient in baking powder and sherbet powder.

It is also used in household cleaning products to effectively neutralize odors and thoroughly clean surfaces.

In the medical field, sodium bicarbonate is sometimes used as an antacid to relieve heartburn and acid reflux. It is also used in dialysis.

Sodium bicarbonate is also a component of fire extinguishing powder and is used as a water softener.

Various sherbet powder tablets, lemon wedges and 2 glasses of sherbet already dissolved in water
Lake Natron in the foreground, mountains in the background

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How is baking soda obtained?

Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) can be obtained in several ways, but the most common method is by chemical reaction.

Sodium bicarbonate is also found as the natural mineral „trona“/“sesquisoda“ in soda lakes, highly alkaline lakes or volcanic springs. In some regions, sodium bicarbonate is mined from natural deposits. In this case, it is called natural soda or natron. It is also found as „nahcolite“ in oil shale, a by-product of oil production.

Synthetic Production of Sodium Bicarbonate

Baking soda (sodium hydrogen carbonate or sodium bicarbonate) can be made by mixing saturated sodium carbonate solution (soda solution) with carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water while cooling.

The saturated sodium carbonate solution is brought into contact with carbon dioxide (CO₂) The sodium carbonate reacts with the carbon dioxide and water to form sodium bicarbonate and carbonic acid (H₂CO₃).

The chemical equation is as follows:
Na₂CO₃(aq) + CO₂ (g) + H₂O (l) → 2 NaHCO₃ (aq)

During or after the reaction, the solution is cooled to promote the precipitation of sodium bicarbonate. When the solution is cooled, the sodium hydrogen carbonate crystallizes out of the solution and precipitates as a solid.

The resulting sodium hydrogen carbonate can be separated from the liquid by filtration or centrifugation. It is then washed and dried to yield pure sodium bicarbonate powder.

SHS pusher centrifuge for sodium carbonate - view from the gearbox side
Drum filter for sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate
Sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate in powder form on a conveyor belt
SHS pusher centrifuge for sodium carbonate

How does the drying process work?

Due to the generally very fine particle sizes (60 – 150 μm), the general separation of the solids takes place with a pusher centrifuge as a post-dewatering device after a drum filter, whereby the discharge moisture of the filter can be reduced from approx. 18 % by weight to 10 – 12 % by weight.
Further drying must take place at a low temperature, as sodium bicarbonate decomposes back to sodium carbonate, carbon dioxide and water above 65 °C (reversal of the production reaction).

Advantages of the pusher centrifuge

Due to the fineness of the crystals, our SHS pusher centrifuge is particularly suitable for post-dehydration of sodium bicarbonate. Compared to other types of centrifuges, the SHS achieves…

  • A reduction in solids losses. The significantly higher solids cake reduces the amount of solids passing through the screen into the filtrate.
  • Very efficient dewatering. Due to the much longer residence time of the very compact solids cake on the screen.
  • Optimum conditions for subsequent dewatering. The long residence time of the solids cake on the SHS screen makes it ideal for post-dewatering the solids discharge from a drum filter.

Slijtagebescherming

De centrifuges van SIEBTECHNIK TEMA zijn speciaal geoptimaliseerd voor de betreffende scheidingstaak. Bij de materiaalkeuze hebben austenitisch en ferritisch roestvast staal zich bewezen in de centrifugebouw voor toepassingen onder normale belasting.

Voor processen waarbij schurende materialen worden verwerkt, moeten de centrifuges worden voorzien van een effectieve slijtagebescherming. Al sinds 1922, toen we begonnen met de verwerking van steenkool, hebben we slijtagebeschermingssystemen continu verder ontwikkeld.

Onze centrifuges kunnen worden uitgerust met geavanceerde slijtagebeschermingssystemen van bijvoorbeeld wolfraamcarbide, Stellite® of keramische tegels, om er maar een paar te noemen. Rubber- of matrixcoatings hebben zich ook bewezen in diverse toepassingen.

Indien nodig ontwikkelen onze ingenieurs nieuwe en efficiënte oplossingen op het gebied van coating-, hecht- en verbindingstechnologie voor onze klanten wereldwijd.

Materialen voor centrifugeonderdelen

Centrifugeonderdelen moeten niet alleen bestand zijn tegen hoge krachten, maar ook tegen procesgerelateerde belastingen zoals corrosie, slijtage en hoge temperaturen. Ook de kosten en de beschikbaarheid van materialen spelen een belangrijke rol. Onze klanten kiezen de benodigde materialen die in contact komen met het product op basis van deze zeer specifieke eisen.

Duplex- en hooggelegeerde roestvaste staalsoorten, Hastelloy® en titaniummaterialen voor een breed scala aan processen en belastingen maken deel uit van onze dagelijkse praktijk in de centrifugebouw. Ons kwaliteitsmanagement heeft zeer gedetailleerde en kosteneffectieve processen ontwikkeld voor ontwerp, fabricageprocessen en het testen van componenten op basis van Europese richtlijnen.

Typische plaatwerk- en smeedmaterialen voor componenten die in contact komen met vloeistoffen in centrifuges zijn onder andere

  • EN 1.4404 / AISI 316L
  • EN 1.4571 / AISI 316Ti
  • EN 1.4462 / AISI 318LN / Duplex
  • EN 1.4410 / AISI F53 / Super Duplex
  • Lean Duplex
  • EN 1.4539 / AISI 904L
  • EN 1.4547 / 254SMO®
  • EN 1.4529 / AISI 926
  • EN 2.4819 / INCONEL® Alloy C-276
  • EN 2.4602 / Hastelloy® C22
  • EN 2.4610 / Hastelloy® C4
  • EN 3.7035 / Ti-II / Titan 994-Ti-grade 2
  • EN 3.7235 / Ti-IIPd / Titan 994 Pd-Ti-grade 7
  • and their casting materials

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