Inoculating Artemia Nauplii for the Purification of Brine and Enhancement of Quantity and Quality of Sodium Chloride in the Solar Saltpans of Kanyakumari

Abstract

An investigation was made on the inoculation of brine shrimp Artemia nauplii in the evaporation ponds such as primary, secondary, tertiary condensers and crystallizers of two solar saltpans (SP1 and SP2) which use sea and estuarine water respectively for solar salt production for one year in four different seasons. Season I, (May, June and July), season II (August, September and October), and season IV (February, March and April). The third season (November, December and January) failed to have salt samples due to the northeast monsoon. The evaporation rate of the brine, the quality parameters of the salt, the amount of salt harvested and the heavy metal content of the salt samples of both the control and the experimental ponds were determined. The evaporation rate was found to be greater in the Artemia inoculated ponds than in the control ponds and the maximum percentage difference of evaporation rate observed was 20%. Among the various salt quality parameters analysed, moisture content, insoluble impurities, calcium sulphate, magnesium sulphate and magnesium chloride contents decreased from the control to the experimental samples and the sodium chloride content increased by 3 to 4%. There was an increase in the amount of sodium chloride harvested and the percentage difference between the control and the experimental samples was 15 to 16%. Heavy metals like chromium, lead, iron, cobalt, manganese and zinc contents of the salt decreased from the control to the experimental samples. The seasonal variation of the different parameters observed was higher in the case of post monsoon II (season IV) than in the other two seasons.