Man has been producing salt since the time of the agricultural revolution, when he settled in permanent settlements and began cultivating the land for his nutritional needs, leaving the nomadic life behind. Originally, the production of salt by solar evaporation of seawater must have taken place in coastal lagoons and rock cavities. However, the improvement of this simple process, which emerged through a long evolutionary process, ultimately shaped Solar Saltworks into unique saline coastal ecosystems.

Current industrial Solar Saltworks consist of a well-designed system of ponds (lakes) that are interconnected, primarily in series, into which seawater enters and flows in a controlled manner through appropriate gates or pumps. The incident solar radiation, assisted by the wind action, evaporates the seawater which, as it flows, develops a salinity gradient throughout the ponds system that results in salt crystallization (production) in the latter pond in the row (Physical process). Despite increasing salinity, life does not stop in saltworks ponds. Paradoxically this salinity gradient, gives rise to a characteristic chain of microorganisms, which grow in planktonic and benthic communities and consist of species that cover all the existing domains of life, namely Eukaryotes, Bacteria and Archaea! (Biological process). These two processes, the physical and the biological, develop in parallel, interact strongly and determine both the quality and the quantity of the salt produced.

Solar Saltworks do much more than just produce a basic industrial commodity. Their environmental uniqueness lies on the fact they are constructed, integrated coastal ecosystems, where regular and hypersaline environments coexist, establishing high significant shelters for wild life. This wetland function of sea salt production process, as well as the historical and cultural value of salt, offer valuable, additional ways of Solar Saltworks exploitation.

Optimizing Solar Saltworks’ production process is vital not only for the qualitative and quantitative upgrade of its products, but also because it simultaneously enhances its function as a wetland. In this direction, we provide technical support for Solar Saltworks:

• New investments / Production process optimization 
• Eco-tourism development/ Museum installation / Environmental education / Abandoned salines rehabilitation
• Production of high commercial value by-products
• Therapeutic baths, brine and mud