Sea salt is obtained from the North Sea, Mediterranean Sea or the Atlantic Ocean in France’s Brittany coast and also in Maine, Cape Coa, mass in united states of America. Mainly the process involved in harvesting sea salt is evaporation.
On a big scale salt is extracted by using big tanks. Sea water is pushed into these tanks where sun and wind starts evaporating the water and increases the concentration of salt in the sea water. Then the water goes through other tanks steadily increasing salinity. At the point of saturation salt content is nearly nine times more as it was in earlier sea water. In crystallizing tanks salt deposits at the rate of 260 kg per cubic meter and the crystallization tank is very big in size nearly eight hectares and rectangular in shape. A layer of salt is formed in the tank which yields 6000-8000 tonnes of marketable salt per tank. Before the salt goes for centrifuge-drying it is fed to initial washing installation to get more benefit. Harvest is completed in late August or in the starting of September before the autumn rain starts. The salt which is obtained is used in chemicals industry, agricultural purposes and for people’s consumption. The salt is further washed for human consumption and then the trace of chemicals are added to it like in table salt one percent of magnesium carbonate is added to iodized salt.
We can also harvest salt by our own as it is a very simple process. Firstly take a large shallow pan then go to salt fields or salt marsh. Collect the sea water in these pans and put them in the area where it gets the maximum sunlight and wind. When the water will evaporate you are left behind with the salt in the pan. The best time for the harvesting is late summer i.e. in late August or early September. Store this salt in air tight containers where moisture from air cannot reach it.
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