Salt at its best

Throughout history, salt has played a pivotal role through trade routes, voyages of discovery, power struggles, religious ceremonies, agriculture, medical treatments and more. Not to mention adding taste to make the most delicious dishes in the world.

It is estimated that if all of the salt from the oceans could be spread evenly across the earth’s surface, it would form a layer the height of a 40-storey office building. If you consider that about 70% of the earth’s surface is covered with water, and 97% of that water is saline, it is clear that our planet has a lot of salt water. But where does all that salt come from? Over time, dissolved carbon dioxide from rain, in the form of carbonic acid, erodes rock and ultimately carries salts and minerals into the sea.

As Africa’s largest sub-Saharan solar evaporation salt mine, the traditional core business of Walvis Bay Salt is to produce, process and market sea salt in both bulk and bag formats for the local and international markets. The mine processes approximately 100 million cubic metres of seawater per annum to produce in excess of 1.1 million tonnes of crude salt annually, covering an area of more than 5,000 hectares of land. All it needs is seawater, sunshine and wind – luckily in plentiful supply in the area.

Concentrated brine is pumped into the crystallisation ponds for final evaporation. NaCl crystallises on the pan floors and is harvested. Just before harvesting, the brine, now called “bittern”, is pumped away. The bittern contains various unwanted chemical impurities.

Salt crystals are ready for harvesting after 11 months. A harvesting machine, operated with a laser system, removes the layer of salt, which is now 150-180 mm thick, at a rate of 600 tonnes per hour.

The amazing colours of the crystallisation ponds – dark pink, purple or red – are caused by microorganisms such as the Dunaliella salina algae that thrive in the brine.

The product is either bagged in various pack sizes or shipped in bulk to various markets internationally. Salt is used in the chemical industry to produce chloride and caustic soda, which in turn are needed for the production of synthetic products such as plastic. A small portion of the product is also refined for human consumption. Unrefined salt is used in the agricultural sector.

The company’s main markets are Southern Africa, East and West Africa, Europe and North America. In addition to salt, the company also produces oysters of exceptional quality for the export market.

The salt pan system contains a myriad of living organisms and microorganisms that sustains a great number of wetland birds such as flamingos and waders. It has been estimated that approximately 70% of all Lesser Flamingos on the Southern African continent make use of the salt pans and its surroundings as a feeding ground. The area has been identified as one of the three most important coastal wetlands in Africa. Annual bird counts conducted since 1983 have indicated up to 140 000 birds at a time, and more than 60 species have been identified.

SALTY FACTS

• Salt was one of the greatest treasures of the ancient world.

• Humankind found its way to salt by following animal paths to salt licks and so salt trails developed.

• The oldest known salt production site is in the city of Provadia, Bulgaria, dating from about 4500 BC.

• Salt was used as currency in ancient Rome, and the roots of the words “soldier” and “salary” can be traced to Latin words related to giving or receiving salt.

• Salt has had cultural significance in every religion from Buddhism to Christianity. Salt is mentioned often in the Bible, most famously when Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt.

• Salt was so valuable it was traded for slaves, which is where the expression “not worth his salt” or “not worth his weight of salt” originates from.

• Someone who is the “salt of the earth” is a dependable, unpretentious person – a saying which originates from the Bible.

• “Salting the earth”, however, refers to an ancient military tactic of ploughing fields with salt so that no crops could be grown.

• Superstitions around salt had people believing that spilling salt meant bad luck. Throwing a pinch of salt over your left shoulder was a way to cast off evil.

• Taking something with a “pinch of salt” means remaining sceptical about its truth, which relates to the fact that salt makes everything more palatable.