January 20,
2006
Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation
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Orders for chlor-alkali plants surpassing 10 million tons capacity
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Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corp. (AKCC) has received orders which will raise the total operating capacity of chlor-alkali plants using its ion-exchange membrane process to over 10 million tons/year on a 100% caustic soda basis.
With this process, ion-exchange membranes are used in the electrolysis of brine to produce chlorine and caustic soda.
Since its world-leading commercial development in 1975, the Asahi Kasei process has earned a strong reputation for operating performance and reliability, and enjoys the world's top share. As of December 2005, electrolysis systems using the Asahi Kasei process were operating or scheduled for construction at 76 plants in 17 countries with a total capacity of over 10 million tons/year converted to 100% caustic soda.
Many of the world's leading chemical producers use the Asahi Kasei membrane process for chlor-alkali,
including Dow Chemical in the US and Germany,
Formosa Plastics in Taiwan, Akzo Nobel in the Netherlands, and BASF in Germany.
Recent orders include a large project of Shintech, a US subsidiary of Shin-Etsu Chemical.
In the growing market of China, AKCC has received orders which will raise capacity of plants using this process
to over 3 million tons/year, with major customers including Juhua Group in Zhejiang Province,
Tianjin Dagu Chemical in Tianjin City, and Sinopec Oilu Petrochemical in Shandong Province.
Demand for PVC and caustic soda is increasing markedly in China and India as these countries enjoy strong economic growth, and AKCC is receiving numerous inquiries about its ion-exchange membrane electrolysis process.
Demand for membrane-process plants to replace plants using the mercury and diaphragm processes for chlor-alkali is also growing in response to environmental concerns and increased power costs due to the high price of oil.
AKCC has marked its membrane-related businesses, including ion-exchange membranes and systems, battery separators,
and filtration systems, as a key to strategic growth in higher value-added fields.
In membrane-process chlor-alkali, it is the world's only supplier of complete systems comprising its own ion-exchange membranes, electrolyzers, cathodes, anodes, and operating technology.
Reinforcing its world-leading position, AKCC is targeting 15 million tons/year in total capacity of plant orders by 2010.
Features of the Asahi Kasei membrane process for chlor-alkali include
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Elimination of the use of the environmentally hazardous mercury or asbestos; |
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Low cell voltage for low power consumption; |
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Production of high concentration caustic soda, reducing the need for steam to raise the concentration; and |
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Production of high purity chlorine, enabling feed to a dichloroethylene line without liquefaction. |
AKCC's Aciplex™ ion-exchange membranes for chlor-alkali enable outstanding electrolytic performance, including low cell voltage,
high current efficiency, and resistance to brine impurities.
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