UP FROM THE ASHES

Abstract

THANKS TO THE world economy’s big stumble, many commodity chemical sectors have experienced boom and bust over the past 12 months. Few have had it as bad as the U.S. soda ash business. Last year was perhaps the best year ever for the U.S. soda ash industry. Prices reached an all-time high, and plants ran full out. But the combination of economic calamity and fierce competition from Chinese producers yielded a sudden period of hard times. Now, companies are leveraging their low-cost position in a fight to reverse it. With U.S. production of 11.3 million metric tons last year, soda ash, or sodium carbonate, is one of the country’s largest volume inorganic chemicals. About half of that output is combined with sand and calcium carbonate to make glass. Other applications include laundry detergents, sodium bicarbonate production, and sundry applications calling for an alkaline material. U.S. producers hold a coveted place in the global soda ash ...