Corn Nixtamalization with Washing Soda

I am curious if it is possible to make hominy using washing soda (sodium carbonate) instead of slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) or wood ash. Before I check to see if pickling lime is even available at the local supermarket, I want to know if anyone has tried using washing soda to make hominy since washing soda is more readily available at my local supermarket than pickling lime. Washing soda can be easily made by heating dry baking soda above a certain temperature until the baking soda decomposes into washing soda. My main concern is that washing soda may not be able to raise the pH of water to a high enough level for the nixtamalization reaction to properly occur. Washing soda more readily dissociates in water than baking soda, but it does not dissociate nearly as well as calcium hydroxide.

Give it a try.... You could know as soon as tomorrow whether or not it works.

The pH of Calcium hydroxide and washing soda solutions can both be around 12. I bet that either one would work.