Rock Salt Uses

Rock salt, also known as halite is the naturally occurring crystalline salt. It is the mineral form of sodium chloride or the table salt that we use. However, rock salt does not look like the regular table salt. Instead, it naturally forms in large isometric crystals. Moreover, rock salt can be white like table salt or it can be red, orange, yellow or blue in color. Its color basically depends on the amount, and the kind of impurities present in it. Along with sodium, it contains many other minerals including, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper and several other trace minerals.

How Does Rock Salt Form?

It forms naturally, when the saline water of sea evaporates. It is mined from underground deposits, which form when the inland seas evaporated millions of years ago. Such salt deposits can be found in inland marginal seas, dry lake beds, as well as enclosed bays and estuaries, found in certain arid regions. In contrast, the regular table salt, that we usually use, is extracted by evaporation of sea water. Usually in shallow basins, as well as brine wells and salt lakes. Sometimes, however, it is also obtained by mining.

What is Rock Salt Used for?

Salt or sodium chloride in small quantities, is essential for animal life. However, it is usually not consumed or used for cooking, mainly due to the fact that the crystals of this salt are much larger, and hence require more time to dissolve. Moreover, the naturally occurring rock salt may contain many impurities. But, this salt has found many other uses in recent times, right from road maintenance to making ice creams.

• A well-known use is to manage ice on roads, during the winter. Salt in general, lowers the freezing point of water and so, putting salt on ice causes it to melt. Therefore, it is a common practice to sprinkle salt in roads, walkways or driveways after a snow storm in order to melt the ice.
• It is also used in making ice creams. However, it is not a part of the ice cream mixture. Instead, it is used to melt the ice that surrounds the can. When packed in with ice in an ice cream maker, it can lower the temperature of the ice cream maker, so that ice cream can get even colder.
• Like regular salt, food grade rock salt too is used for food preservation. It is employed for pickling, as well as curing fish and meat, as many microorganisms cannot survive in a salty environment. This is because, salt causes water to be drawn out from their cells.
• It is used to make lamps. These lamps produce negative ions, which in turn, attach to pollens and other environmental allergens, which helps to purify air.
• Its licks are being used by the farmers to supply essential nutrients to farm animals. They put such salt licks in their livestock's corrals, so that the animals can lick them to get the important nutrients.
• It is employed for softening hard water. The sodium present in it exchanges ions with calcium and magnesium present in hard water, in order to eliminate these minerals. This in turn soften the hard water.
• It acts as a fixing agent while dyeing clothes, which is an important industrial use of this salt.
• It can be used for cosmetic reasons. It can effectively exfoliate the dead skin cells, and cleanse the skin pores. It is used in bath salts for this reason.
• Apart from these, it is used by many to treat many types of skin disorders, pain, inflammation, cold and cough and the pain caused by rheumatism.

However, while using these salt one needs to maintain a little bit of care and precaution. Rock salt that is used for melting ice on roads, as well as for other industrial purposes, is not fit for human consumption. Therefore, one should always use food grade rock salt, if it is going to be used in foods. Secondly, too much of this salt can damage plants, which should be kept in mind while watering the plants with softened water. Lastly, when rock salt is used for melting ice on roads, it can alter the chemical composition of runoff water. Such runoff water can damage vegetation and wreak havoc for the aquatic life of the nearby water bodies.