<Ul> <Li> Glass making: More than half the worldwide production of soda ash is used to make glass . Bottle and window glass (Soda - lime glass) is made by melting a mixture of sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate and silica sand (silicon dioxide (SiO)). </Li> <Li> Water treatment: Sodium carbonate is used to soften water (precipitates out Mg and Ca carbonates). This is used both industrially and domestically (in some washing powders). </Li> <Li> Making soaps and detergents: Often sodium carbonate is used as a cheaper alternative to lye (sodium hydroxide (NaOH)). </Li> <Li> Paper making: Sodium carbonate is used to make sodium bisulphite (NaHSO) for the "sulfite" method of separating lignin from cellulose . </Li> <Li> As a common alkali in many chemical factories because it is cheaper than NaOH and far safer to handle . </Li> <Li> Making sodium bicarbonate: NaHCO is used in baking soda and in fire extinguishers . Although NaHCO is itself an intermediate product of the Solvay process, the heating needed to remove the ammonia that contaminates it decomposes some NaHCO, making it more economic to react finished Na CO with CO . </Li> <Li> Removing sulphur dioxide (SO) from flue gases in power stations . This is becoming more common, especially where stations have to meet stringent emission controls . </Li> </Ul> <Li> Glass making: More than half the worldwide production of soda ash is used to make glass . Bottle and window glass (Soda - lime glass) is made by melting a mixture of sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate and silica sand (silicon dioxide (SiO)). </Li> <Li> Water treatment: Sodium carbonate is used to soften water (precipitates out Mg and Ca carbonates). This is used both industrially and domestically (in some washing powders). </Li> <Li> Making soaps and detergents: Often sodium carbonate is used as a cheaper alternative to lye (sodium hydroxide (NaOH)). </Li>

In the solvay process it is important that at ice temperature sodium bicarbonate is