Chlorine Production
Innovation in Action: Producing sustainably and energy-efficiently
About two-thirds of all chemical products are made with chlorine – including plastics. The production of this important basic chemical is also one of the most energy-intensive processes in the chemical industry. Covestro has revolutionized this process here. The innovative oxygen depolarized cathode (ODC) process reduces the electricity consumption of chlorine production by up to 25 percent. Another plus for the environment: Chlorine production in North Rhine-Westphalia is using an increasing proportion of green energy – thus reducing Covestro's reported emissions in this area alone by up to 120,000 tons of CO2 per year.
Chlorine production in Leverkusen: Salt, electricity, and maximum efficiency
For chlorine production, a whole shipload of salt weighing up to almost 1,800 tons is needed daily. Add to this up to 2.4 megawatt hours of electricity per day – that's only slightly less than the daily electricity consumption of a large city like Düsseldorf. The approximately 100 employees here can produce up to 400,000 tons of chlorine annually.
The demand for chlorine and sodium hydroxide is steadily increasing. These indispensable basic chemicals are used in a variety of processes to produce products such as pharmaceuticals, insulation materials, and photovoltaic cells. Thanks to innovative processes from Covestro, this is done in a much more resource and environmentally friendly way than before.
