Sodium Hydroxide Production from Sodium Chloride (Mercury Process)

Products

Caustic Soda. Causic soda (NaOH), also known as sodium hydroxide, is a major inorganic used in several industries. Most of caustic soda production is used in the manufacture of chemicals, such as propylene oxide and sodium salts. Electrolysis of sodium chloride accounts for most of today’s installed capacity for caustic soda production, which also generates chlorine.

Hydrogen. The hydrogen molecule, H2, is the normal state of pure hydrogen, even though hydrogen can be found in its atomic form under specific conditions. It is a very stable molecule, not usually reactive under normal conditions. Essentially, molecular hydrogen is produced industrially by three different methods: hydrocarbons steam reforming, hydrocarbons partial oxidation and water electrolysis. Hydrogen can also be obtained as a by-product recovered in processes such as the manufacture of styrene from ethylbenzene.

Chlorine. Chlorine figures among the most important chemical commodities. It is an indispensable intermediate in the chemical industry, employed in the manufacture of a multitude of end products (e.g. materials of construction, solvents, pesticides, etc). Most of chlorine produced on commercial scale is based on electrolysis of aqueous sodium chloride (brine), which also generates caustic soda and hydrogen as co-products (chlor-alkali processes).

Raw Material

Sodium Chloride. Sodium chloride (NaCl) is the salt naturally occurring in sea water. Sodium chloride (as aqueous solution, i.e., brine or solid) is widely used in the chemical industry as a feedstock for the production of chlorine, sodium hydroxide, and other sodium-based compounds through electrolysis.