One Volt Less, A Giant Leap for Sustainability

The ODC technology requires just two volts of electricity instead of the conventional three – a small change with monumental impact. By feeding oxygen to the cathode, hydrogen formation is eliminated, resulting in the production of only chlorine and sodium hydroxide. To put this into perspective: if Germany's entire chlorine production (an annual capacity of about five million tons) adopted this method, it would prevent 2.5 million tons of CO₂ emissions each year. Moreover, it could save approximately one percent of Germany's total energy consumption – equivalent to the entire energy usage of a city like Cologne.

From Leverkusen to the world: In Tarragona, Covestro has been operating the world's first large-scale plant for chlorine production based on ODC technology since 2023. Chlorine is used there, among other things, for the production of MDI, a precursor for the rigid foam plastic polyurethane, which is used, for example, in insulation materials and refrigeration equipment. In addition, Covestro has been successfully using the sustainable ODC process in a plant at the Krefeld-Uerdingen site since 2011.