Hands down, the number one question that I am asked regarding natural resource extraction is: What is trona?
Trona is a little known but immensely important hard rock mineral. Trona is a sodium carbonate compound mined underground, then brought to the surface to be refined and processed into soda ash or sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda.
That means if you like to bake, like I do, you probably have a box of trona from Wyoming sitting in your kitchen cabinet.
Not only is baking soda and all of the products that use baking soda (tooth paste, laundry detergent, etc.) made from trona, but trona is also heavily used in making glass; in fact, about half of the soda ash produced is reportedly consumed in glassmaking. In addition, trona is widely used in the manufacture of soap, paper, and critically important chemicals, such as those used in fertilizer and in water purification processes.
Sweetwater County, Wyoming has the world's largest deposit of trona, reportedly supplying about 90% of the nation's soda ash. This area is generally referred to by people in the trona mining industry as the "Trona Patch." According to the Wyoming Mining Association, Wyoming mines produced over 17 million tons of trona in 2014.
Next time you pick up a box of baking soda or drink a soft drink from a glass bottle, remember the importance of the little known mineral, trona.
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