Evaluation of the Chemical Compositions of Solar Salts Produced in Korea

To evaluate the effect of aging on solar salts produced in Korea, the chemical compositions of the solar salts, including their heavy metal contents, were analyzed after they were aged for one-year (OA) and for three years (TA). The average contents of the components were: sodium chloride; 81.4% (OA) and 90.9% (TA), chloride; 57.7% (OA) and 65.0% (TA), moisture content; 4.7% (TA) and 12.0% (OA), insoluble solids; 0.03% (OA) and 0.04% (TA), and ions; and 0.57% (TA) and 0.85% (OA). No significant difference was found, however, in the heavy metal contents. Heavy metals such as As, Pb, and Hg were detected with values far below the maximum permissible limit, and Cd was not detected in the salts. The TA solar salts showed higher values of sodium chloride, chloride, and insoluble solids than the OA solar salts, but the TA solar salts had lower moisture and values. These results clearly indicate that the levels of heavy metals in the OA and TA solar salts that are produced in Korea are safe.