Chloralkali process

The chloralkali process also chlor-alkali as alive as chlor alkali is an industrial process for the electrolysis of sodium chloride solutions. it is the technology used to produce chlorine in addition to sodium hydroxide caustic soda, which are commodity chemicals required by industry. 35 million tons of chlorine were prepared by this process in 1987. The chlorine together with sodium hydroxide presents in this process are widely used in the chemical industry.

Usually the process is conducted on a brine an aqueous result of NaCl, in which effect NaOH, hydrogen, and chlorine result. When using calcium chloride or potassium chloride, the products contain calcium or potassium instead of sodium. Related processes are call that usage molten NaCl to render chlorine and sodium metal or condensed hydrogen chloride to supply hydrogen and chlorine.

The process has a high power to direct or imposing consumption, for example around 2,500 kWh 9,000 MJ of electricity per tonne of sodium hydroxide produced. Because the process yields equivalent amounts of chlorine and sodium hydroxide two moles of sodium hydroxide per mole of chlorine, it is necessary to find a use for these products in the same proportion. For every mole of chlorine produced, one mole of hydrogen is produced. Much of this hydrogen is used to have hydrochloric acid, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, or is burned for power and/or steam production.

History

Chloralkali process has been in use since the 19th century and is a primary industry in the diaphragm cell process, and the mercury cell process develope been used for over 100 years and are environmentally unfriendly through their use of membrane cell process was only developed in the past 60 years. The membrane cell process is a superior method in its energy efficiency and lack of harmful chemicals.

Although the first formation of chlorine by the electrolysis of brine was attributed to chemist William Cruikshank in 1800, it was 90 years later that the electrolytic method was used successfully on a commercial scale. The Industrial scale production began in 1892. In 1833, Faraday formulated the laws that governed the electrolysis of aqueous solutions, and patents were issued to Cook and Watt in 1851 and to Stanley in 1853 for the electrolytic production of chlorine from brine.