Quality monitoring of salt produced in Indonesia through seawater evaporation on HDPE geomembrane lined ponds

Salt is one of the primary ingredients that humans always need for various purposes, both for consumption and industry. The need for high-quality salt continues to increase, as long as industry growth. It must improve product quality through the development of salt production process technology. In this research, the quality monitoring of salt produced in Indonesia by evaporation of seawater on ponds lined using high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane has been studied. The manufacturing of salt carried out through the gradual precipitation principle on prepared ponds. HDPE geomembrane is used to coat evaporation ponds with viscosity 12-22°Be and crystallization ponds with a viscosity of 23°Be. The monitoring of the product is carried out in the particular periods during the salt production period. The result of control shows that the quality of salt produced in HDPE geomembrane coated salt ponds has an average NaCl content of 95.75%, so it has fulfilled with Indonesia National Standard (SNI), that is NaCl> 94.70%. The production of salt with HDPE geomembrane can improve the quality of salt product from NaCl 85.4% (conventional system) to 95.75%.