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Soda
ash is the trade name for sodium carbonate,
a chemical refined from the mineral trona
or sodium-carbonate-bearing brines (both
referred to as "natural soda ash")
or manufactured from one of several chemical
processes (referred to as "synthetic
soda ash"). Soda ash, which is one
of the most important of all chemical products
and is a sta
rting material in producing
many other chemicals, is produced in the
largest amounts compared with other soda
products. It is an essential raw material
in glass, chemicals, detergents, and other
important industrial products. In 1998,
in terms of production, soda ash was the
11th largest inorganic chemical of all domestic
inorganic and organic chemicals, excluding
petrochemical feedstocks. Although soda
ash represented only 2% of the total $39
billion U.S. nonfuel mineral industry, its
use in many diversified products contributed
substantially to the gross domestic product
of the United States. Because soda ash is
used in flat glass for automobile manufacture
and building construction, which are important
economic sectors of the domestic economy.
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