Production of crystalline sodium bicarbonate

A process for producing crystalline sodium bicarbonate, comprising:

• providing an aqueous sodium-bicarbonate containing liquor originating from a reactive crystallization step in which first sodium bicarbonate crystals are produced and recovered;
• feeding at least a portion of said aqueous sodium-bicarbonate containing liquor to at least one cooling crystallization unit under cooling conditions to form second sodium bicarbonate crystals and to produce a crystals slurry comprising said second sodium bicarbonate crystals;
• and
• withdrawing at least a portion of said second sodium bicarbonate crystals from said cooling crystallization unit in a crystal slurry stream for said second sodium bicarbonate crystals to be further processed;
• wherein the crystal slurry stream withdrawn from the cooling crystallization unit is further processed in at least the following step:
• flowing at least a portion of the crystal slurry stream through a cooling circulation loop being in fluid communication with the cooling crystallization unit and recycling a resulting cooled crystal slurry stream directly to the cooling crystallization unit without solids enrichment in a separation unit;
• and
• wherein the step for providing an aqueous sodium-bicarbonate containing liquor originating from a reactive crystallization unit comprises:
• providing a sodium carbonate bearing stream, at least a portion of which is generated by a sodium carbonate crystallization unit;
• and
• bicarbonating the sodium carbonate bearing stream with a gas comprising CO2 in a reactive crystallization unit to produce an aqueous suspension comprising said first sodium bicarbonate crystals and further to produce at least a portion of said aqueous sodium-bicarbonate containing liquor which is fed to said at least one cooling crystallization unit.