Brine Brine is used for food processing and cooking (pickling and brining), for de-icing of roads and other structures, and in a number of technological processes. It is also a by-product of many industrial processes, such as desalination, and may pose an environmental risk due to its corrosive and toxic effects, so it requires wastewater treatment for proper disposal. Saline water with relatively high concentration of salt (usually sodium chloride) occurs naturally on Earth's surface (salt lakes), crust, and within brine pools on ocean bottom. Numerous processes exist which can produce brines in nature. Modification of seawater via evaporation results in
New Cheshire Salt Works Salt Works having closed in the early 1970s. Naturally occurring underground brine from the Wincham brinefield was pumped to the surface via a borehole. Such natural or wild brine pumping differs from controlled brine pumping, where water is pumped underground into rock to dissolve rock salt deposits. The process has historically been associated with subsidence, which has been a major problem in the Northwich area. The brine was purified by treatment with sodium carbonate and lime, and the salt extracted using a closed-pan partial vacuum evaporation method. The technique was adapted from the sugar industry, and had first been applied