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    11a. Chlor-Alkali

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    muhammad omer
    The document summarizes the chlor-alkali electrolysis process used to manufacture chlorine, hydrogen, and sodium hydroxide. There are three processes - diaphragm cell, mercury cell, and membrane cell. The diaphragm cell process separates the anode and cathode chambers with a permeable diaphragm. The mercury cell process uses liquid mercury as the cathode. Both processes produce chlorine at the anode and sodium hydroxide and hydrogen at the cathode. Emissions from these processes include chlorine, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen. Emissions are controlled through recycling or neutralization.

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    11a. Chlor-Alkali

    Uploaded by

    muhammad omer
    61 views4 pages
    The document summarizes the chlor-alkali electrolysis process used to manufacture chlorine, hydrogen, and sodium hydroxide. There are three processes - diaphragm cell, mercury cell, and membrane cell. The diaphragm cell process separates the anode and cathode chambers with a permeable diaphragm. The mercury cell process uses liquid mercury as the cathode. Both processes produce chlorine at the anode and sodium hydroxide and hydrogen at the cathode. Emissions from these processes include chlorine, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen. Emissions are controlled through recycling or neutralization.

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    Alkaline solution

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    The document summarizes the chlor-alkali electrolysis process used to manufacture chlorine, hydrogen, and sodium hydroxide. There are three processes - diaphragm cell, mercury cell, and membrane cell. The diaphragm cell process separates the anode and cathode chambers with a permeable diaphragm. The mercury cell process uses liquid mercury as the cathode. Both processes produce chlorine at the anode and sodium hydroxide and hydrogen at the cathode. Emissions from these processes include chlorine, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen. Emissions are controlled through recycling or neutralization.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    61 views4 pages

    11a. Chlor-Alkali

    Uploaded by

    muhammad omer
    The document summarizes the chlor-alkali electrolysis process used to manufacture chlorine, hydrogen, and sodium hydroxide. There are three processes - diaphragm cell, mercury cell, and membrane cell. The diaphragm cell process separates the anode and cathode chambers with a permeable diaphragm. The mercury cell process uses liquid mercury as the cathode. Both processes produce chlorine at the anode and sodium hydroxide and hydrogen at the cathode. Emissions from these processes include chlorine, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen. Emissions are controlled through recycling or neutralization.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 4

    8.

    11 Chlor-Alkali

    8.11.1 General1-2

    The chlor-alkali electrolysis process is used in the manufacture of chlorine, hydrogen, and
    sodium hydroxide (caustic) solution. Of these 3, the primary product is chlorine.

    Chlorine is 1 of the more abundant chemicals produced by industry and has a wide variety of
    industrial uses. Chlorine was first used to produce bleaching agents for the textile and paper industries
    and for general cleaning and disinfecting. Since 1950, chlorine has become increasingly important as
    a raw material for synthetic organic chemistry. Chlorine is an essential component of construction
    materials, solvents, and insecticides. Annual production from U. S. facilities was
    9.9 million megagrams (Mg) (10.9 million tons) in 1990 after peaking at 10.4 million Mg
    (11.4 million tons) in 1989.

    8.11.2 Process Description1-3

    There are 3 types of electrolytic processes used in the production of chlorine: (1) the
    diaphragm cell process, (2) the mercury cell process, and (3) the membrane cell process. In each
    process, a salt solution is electrolyzed by the action of direct electric current that converts chloride
    ions to elemental chlorine. The overall process reaction is:

    2 NaCl 2 H2O → Cl2 H2 2 NaOH

    In all 3 methods, the chlorine (Cl2) is produced at the positive electrode (anode) and the caustic soda
    (NaOH) and hydrogen (H2) are produced, directly or indirectly, at the negative electrode (cathode).
    The 3 processes differ in the method by which the anode products are kept separate from the cathode
    products.

    Of the chlorine produced in the U. S. in 1989, 94 percent was produced either by the
    diaphragm cell or mercury cell process. Therefore, these will be the only 2 processes discussed in this
    section.

    8.11.2.1 Diaphragm Cell -


    Figure 8.11-1 shows a simplified block diagram of the diaphragm cell process. Water (H2O)
    and sodium chloride (NaCl) are combined to create the starting brine solution. The brine undergoes
    precipitation and filtration to remove impurities. Heat is applied and more salt is added. Then the
    nearly saturated, purified brine is heated again before direct electric current is applied. The anode is
    separated from the cathode by a permeable asbestos-based diaphragm to prevent the caustic soda from
    reacting with the chlorine. The chlorine produced at the anode is removed, and the saturated brine
    flows through the diaphragm to the cathode chamber. The chlorine is then purified by liquefaction
    and evaporation to yield a pure liquified product.

    The caustic brine produced at the cathode is separated from salt and concentrated in an
    elaborate evaporative process to produce commercial caustic soda. The salt is recycled to saturate the

    7/93 (Reformatted 1/95) Inorganic Chemical Industry 8.11-1


    Figure 8.11-1. Simplified diagram of the diaphragm cell process.

    8.11-2 EMISSION FACTORS (Reformatted 1/95) 7/93


    dilute brine. The hydrogen removed in the cathode chamber is cooled and purified by removal of
    oxygen, then used in other plant processes or sold.

    8.11.2.2 Mercury Cell -


    Figure 8.11-2 shows a simplified block diagram for the mercury cell process. The recycled
    brine from the electrolysis process (anolyte) is dechlorinated and purified by a precipitation-filtration
    process. The liquid mercury cathode and the brine enter the cell flowing concurrently. The
    electrolysis process creates chlorine at the anode and elemental sodium at the cathode. The chlorine is
    removed from the anode, cooled, dried, and compressed. The sodium combines with mercury to form
    a sodium amalgam. The amalgam is further reacted with water in a separate reactor called the
    decomposer to produce hydrogen gas and caustic soda solution. The caustic and hydrogen are then
    separately cooled and the mercury is removed before proceeding to storage, sales, or other processes.

    8.11.3 Emissions And Controls4

    Tables 8.11-1 and 8.11-2 are is a summaries of chlorine emission factors for chlor-alkali
    plants. Factors are expressed in units of kilograms per megagram (kg/Mg) and pounds per ton
    (lb/ton). Emissions from diaphragm and mercury cell plants include chlorine gas, carbon dioxide
    (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrogen. Gaseous chlorine is present in the blow gas from
    liquefaction, from vents in tank cars and tank containers during loading and unloading, and from
    storage tanks and process transfer tanks. Carbon dioxide emissions result from the decomposition of
    carbonates in the brine feed when contacted with acid. Carbon monoxide and hydrogen are created by
    side reactions within the production cell. Other emissions include mercury vapor from mercury
    cathode cells and chlorine from compressor seals, header seals, and the air blowing of depleted brine
    in mercury-cell plants. Emissions from these locations are, for the most part, controlled through the
    use of the gas in other parts of the plant, neutralization in alkaline scrubbers, or recovery of the
    chlorine from effluent gas streams.

    Table 8.11-3 presents mercury emission factors based on 2 source tests used to substantiate the
    mercury national emission standard for hazardous air pollutants. Due to insufficient data, emission
    factors for CO, CO2, and hydrogen are not presented here.

    7/93 (Reformatted 1/95) Inorganic Chemical Industry 8.11-3


    Figure 8.11-2. Simplified diagram of the mercury cell process.

    8.11-4 EMISSION FACTORS (Reformatted 1/95) 7/93

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