1. Manufacture of glass, where it reduces the melting temperature of the sand used in glass formation and helps in the
'workability' or shaping of glass articles such as tableware and float glass.
2. Making soaps and detergents, where it is employed as a builder, or filler, to give a smoother surface.
3. Production of chemicals such as sodium silicate, sodium bicarbonate and percarbonate, and sodium chro mate and dichromat.
Sodium carbonate can be used to manufacture glass, such as flat glass, bottle glass, optical glass, and utensils; Soap can also be produced by the reaction of fatty acids with sodium carbonate; It is used in the softening of hard water, refining of petroleum and oils, removal of sulfur and phosphorus in the metallurgical industry, beneficiation, and preparation of metals such as copper, lead, nickel, tin, uranium, aluminum, etc., as well as in the production of sodium salts, metal carbonates, bleaches, fillers, detergents, catalysts, and dyes in the chemical industry. Sodium carbonate is also used in the production of refractory materials and glazes in the ceramic industry.