Process for sodium carbonate crystals from solutions

A method of producing sodium carbonate crystals from a sodium carbonate-containing input solution comprising the steps of:

• introducing the sodium carbonate-containing input solution to a crystallizer, the sodium carbonate-containing input solution having a sodium carbonate concentration ranging from 100 g/l to saturation;
• mixing methanol with the sodium carbonate-containing input solution in the crystallizer such that a crystallizing solution has methanol in a concentration of between 1% and 10% by volume;
• precipitating solid calcium and magnesium compounds from the crystallizing solution;
• filtering the solid calcium and magnesium compounds from the crystallizing solution;
• passing the crystallizing solution to a precipitator after said step of filtering;
• adding methanol to the crystallizing solution in the precipitator such that a resultant liquor has methanol in a concentration of between 15% and less than 70% by volume, said methanol being in residence with said sodium carbonate-containing solution for between 10 and 100 minutes;
• and
• precipitating sodium-carbonate crystals from the resultant liquor.