Soda Ash, Methanol and Sodium Bicarbonate for the CIS

Illustration of soda ash, refined methanol and sodium bicarbonate loading onto rail wagons and tank cars beside a laboratory issuing certificates — For CIS buyers the cargo leaves by rail and truck: wagons for soda ash and bicarbonate, tank cars and ISO tanks for methanol.

Three chemicals, three buyers

Soda ash goes to glass furnaces (dense grade), detergent and chemical plants (light grade), water treatment and metallurgy.
Methanol goes to formaldehyde, acetic acid and MTBE plants, which qualify it on trace impurities rather than on purity alone.
Sodium bicarbonate goes to food, feed, pharmaceutical and dialysis buyers, and to flue-gas treatment.

Soda ash: dense for glass, light for chemicals

The chemistry of the two grades is identical. What separates them is bulk density: dense granules resist dusting and segregation in a glass batch house; light powder dissolves faster.

Dense and light soda ash: specification limits to ISIRI 614-1
Property	Dense	Light
Alkalinity as Na₂CO₃	≥ 99.2%	≥ 99.2%
Bulk density	0.85–1.1 g/cm³	0.45–0.65 g/cm³
Chloride as NaCl	≤ 0.4%	≤ 0.4%
Iron (Fe)	≤ 0.004%	≤ 0.004%
Water insolubles	≤ 0.1%	≤ 0.1%
Moisture	≤ 0.2%	≤ 0.2%
Packaging (PP bags)	25, 50, 1000 and 1500 kg	25, 50, 700 and 1500 kg

Low iron is the figure that matters for clear glass, so it is reported on every certificate. Dense soda ash is also graded by sieve, with at least 60% in the 30–100 mesh fraction. Soda ash is hygroscopic: keep bags sealed and off the floor, and use moisture-barrier liners for humid routes.

Product specification Soda ash: dense and light, Na₂CO₃ ≥ 99.2% Full analysis to ISIRI 614-1, dense-grade sieve grading, packaging and storage.

Methanol: Grade AA, bought on trace impurities

A methanol can pass purity on paper and still poison a formaldehyde catalyst. That is why seventeen properties are reported to ASTM methods, and why permanganate time — the sensitive test for oxidisable traces — matters as much as purity.

Methanol: key specification limits on every batch certificate
Property	Method	Limit
Purity	Calculated	99.85 wt% min
Water	ASTM E 203	0.1 wt% max
Permanganate time	ASTM D 1363	50 min minimum
Acetone	ASTM E 346	0.003 wt% max
Acidity as CH₃COOH	ASTM D 1613	0.003 wt% max
Iron	ASTM D 1068	0.05 ppm max
Chloride	ASTM D 512	0.2 ppm max
Non-volatile matter	ASTM D 1353	2 mg/100 mL max

Methanol ships as UN 1230, Class 3 flammable liquid, and is toxic by inhalation, ingestion and skin contact; a Safety Data Sheet travels with every consignment and can be sent in advance for plant approval. It is hygroscopic, so water is the specification most often lost in storage.

Illustration of refined methanol moving from a distillation column into an ISO tank and drums, with an analyser and a certificate of analysis — ISO tanks of about 20 MT, nitrogen-blanketed drums, or a bulk parcel, each with a batch certificate to ASTM methods.

Product specification Methanol: Grade AA, 99.85% minimum Seventeen properties to ASTM methods, ISO tank and drum packaging, safety data.

Sodium bicarbonate: food and pharmaceutical limits

Food, feed and dialysis buyers qualify bicarbonate on its contaminants as much as its assay. The specification below is what we contract against; the typical result is one representative batch, not a promise for future lots.

Sodium bicarbonate: specification and a representative batch result
Property	Specification	Typical result
Content as NaHCO₃	99.0–100.5%	100.22%
Arsenic (As)	≤ 0.0001%	Passes
Heavy metals as Pb	≤ 0.0005%	Passes
Loss on drying	≤ 0.20%	0.04%
pH (10 g/L)	≤ 8.5	8.22
Chlorides	≤ 0.20%	0.18%
Whiteness	≥ 85	91.43

The assay can read above 100% because the titration measures alkalinity, and a trace of carbonate titrates as more than its own weight of bicarbonate; that is why the band runs to 100.5%. Stored warm and damp, bicarbonate loses carbon dioxide and drifts towards soda ash, which first shows as a pH creeping above 8.5 on retest, so keep stock rotating in hot warehouses.

Product specification Sodium bicarbonate: food and pharmaceutical grade Specification against a representative batch result: assay, arsenic, heavy metals, whiteness.

Getting it to the CIS: over land

The Caspian Sea is landlocked, so CIS cargo does not sail from the Gulf ports; it travels over land:

Overland: by truck and rail through Iran's land borders, on DAP or FCA terms — wagons for bagged soda ash and bicarbonate, ISO tanks for methanol.
By sea: EXW, FOB, CFR or CIF from Bandar Abbas or Bandar Imam Khomeini, for buyers reached by sea.
Documents: a batch Certificate of Analysis per shipment; SGS, Bureau Veritas or your own inspector at the buyer's cost.

Trading terms by product
Item	Soda ash	Methanol	Sodium bicarbonate
Minimum order	1 × 20 ft container (approx. 25 MT); 500 MT bulk vessel	1 × 20 ft ISO tank (approx. 20 MT); larger by bulk parcel	1 × 20 ft container (approx. 25 MT)
Packaging	PP bags 25 kg to 1500 kg; bulk on request	ISO tank, 160 kg net steel drums, bulk parcel	25 kg lined bags, 1–1.25 MT jumbo bags
Lead time	7–14 days	7–14 days	7–14 days
HS code (6-digit)	2836.20	2905.11	2836.30

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between dense and light soda ash?

Bulk density, not chemistry. Both are 99.2% Na₂CO₃ minimum. Dense, at 0.85–1.1 g/cm³, suits glass batching; light, at 0.45–0.65 g/cm³, dissolves faster for detergents and chemicals.

Is your methanol Grade AA?

Yes: 99.85% minimum purity with water at 0.1% maximum, plus acetone, acidity and permanganate time limits on every certificate.

What is the HS code for sodium bicarbonate?

2836.30. Soda ash is 2836.20 and methanol 2905.11. National subheadings vary by destination.

Is the bicarbonate suitable for food and pharmaceutical use?

The specification is written to food and pharmacopoeial limits. Tell us which pharmacopoeia or food code you work to and we will confirm conformity in writing before shipment.

How does cargo reach Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan or other CIS countries?

Over land, by truck and rail through Iran's land borders on DAP or FCA terms. The Caspian is landlocked, so there is no sea route from the Gulf ports.

What are the minimum orders?

One 20 ft container of about 25 MT for soda ash and bicarbonate, and one 20 ft ISO tank of about 20 MT for methanol. Trial quantities can be arranged.