No wood for hot water, so had to use ashes and lye again.

NEWYORKER: Diary of an Interesting Year

The demand for chlorine and lye is expected to grow 2% to 3% per year for the rest of the decade, says Adams, the chemicals market analyst.

FORBES: Magazine Article

And if it's not regulated, do you want to be next door to somebody using lye and stuff?

NPR: Biodiesel Enthusiasts Battle for Used Fry Oil

You can watch real artisans blowing glass, making lye soap and carving chairs the old-fashioned way.

ECONOMIST: What the Backwoods Barbie's theme park says about America

First, you dig up bauxite which you then crush and boil in sodium hydroxide (lye, or caustic soda).

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The lye treatment removes the corn bran and also changes the chemistry of the corn making its niacin (one of the B vitamins) more digestible.

NPR: Kernels of Truth About Cornmeal

Balance out your portfolio with a dash of chlorine and caustic soda, a.k.a. lye.

FORBES: Magazine Article

These use an electrical process to transform salt and water into chlorine and caustic soda (a.k.a. lye), which are the building blocks of everything from plastics to soap.

FORBES: Chemical Balance