§1What this business is
Common salt and concentrated sulphuric acid are heated in a furnace to form salt cake; the hydrochloric acid gas is absorbed in water in FRP tanks and sold. The cake is dissolved and sodium sulphate is crystallised. Detergent, kraft paper, glass and textile units buy it. Standards: IS 255 (anhydrous) and IS 256 (decahydrate).
Capacity: 420 MT sodium sulphate and 567 MT hydrochloric acid (by-product) a year; 60% in year 1.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A chemical engineer or trader with buyers in the detergent or paper industry.
Who it is not for
Someone not ready for pollution-board compliance.
Advantages
- Two saleable products from one process
- Raw materials (salt, sulphuric acid) are easy to buy
- Steady industrial demand from detergents and paper
- Gross margin around 30% in the report
Drawbacks
- Classed as a polluting industry — effluent treatment needed
- Hot concentrated acid is dangerous to handle
- Low price per tonne, so freight matters
- Big chemical plants make it cheaply as a by-product
Skills you need
- Furnace and acid handling
- Crystallisation and drying
- Absorbing and storing hydrochloric acid
- Industrial sales
Why difficulty 4/5: Hazardous acids and pollution rules need technical skill.
§3Market
Who buys
- Detergent makers
- Kraft paper and board mills
- Glass makers
- Textile dyeing units
How it sells
- Direct supply to factories
- Chemical traders
Good to know
- Hydrochloric acid by-product: 567 MT a year at full capacity (report).
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Furnace | 1 | ₹2,50,000 |
| Filter | 1 | ₹35,000 |
| Solution tank | 1 | ₹50,000 |
| Crystalliser | 1 | ₹1,25,000 |
| Steam boiler | 1 | ₹2,65,000 |
| Centrifuge | 1 | ₹1,00,000 |
| Testing equipment | 1 | ₹65,000 |
| Installation and erection (10% of machinery) | LS | ₹88,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Sodium Sulphate (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Common salt313.20 MT a year at ₹2,500 per MT (full capacity)
- Sulphuric acid (concentrated)288 MT a year at ₹8,500 per MT
From: PMEGP sample project report — Sodium Sulphate (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- State Pollution Control Board consent to establish and operate
- Factories Act registration and hazardous-chemical safety rules
- Product testing to IS 255 / IS 256 if buyers ask
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
PMEGP (the report is a PMEGP sample), CGTMSE, Stand-Up India for SC/ST or women founders. Above MUDRA's ₹20 lakh limit.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Samadhan report: building & civil work (3,000 sq ft) ₹5.00 L, plant & machinery ₹9.78 L, furniture ₹0.68 L, pre-operative ₹0.60 L, working capital ₹7.94 L = ₹24.00 L (term loan ₹14.45 L, working capital ₹7.14 L, own money ₹2.40 L); land 5,000 sq ft own or rented.
Working capital: Working capital ₹7.94 L (bank ₹7.14 L).
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery and material prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: CHEMEXCIL
- Get an Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT before exporting.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Pollution non-compliance
- Acid burns and gas leaks
- Sulphuric acid price swings
- Cheap by-product supply from big plants
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working sodium sulphate (glauber's salt) unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST registration), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Sodium Sulphate (Glauber's Salt)?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.