salt cake

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. an impure form of sodium sulfate, especially as obtained by the interaction of sulfuric acid and common salt in the synthesis of hydrochloric acid: used chiefly in the manufacture of glass, ceramic glazes, soaps, and sodium salts.

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salt cake British  

noun

1. an impure form of sodium sulphate obtained as a by-product in several industrial processes: used in the manufacture of detergents, glass, and ceramic glazes

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Etymology

Origin of salt cake

First recorded in 1695–1705

Example Sentences

The rule affects the most challenging and expensive part of the Hanford cleanup — some 56 million gallons of waste, a mix of liquids, sludges and a moist sandlike material called salt cake — that have been stored in aging tanks, some of which are leaking.

From Seattle Times

The outcome is a dry “salt cake” that can be disposed of at a hazardous waste dump.

From Seattle Times

Cooling water will be distilled to remove minerals and other contaminants, leaving behind a “salt cake” that will be contained and disposed in a landfill.

From Washington Times

It’s very difficult to get a representative sample from any given tank because the waste has settled into layers, starting with a baked-on “hard heal” at the bottom, a layer of salt cake above that, a layer of gooey sludge, then fluid, and finally gases in the headspace between the fluid and the ceiling.

From Scientific American

Most of the radioactivity is in the solids and sludge whereas most of the volume is in the liquids and the salt cake.

From Scientific American