One Volt Less, A Giant Leap for Sustainability

Chlorine is the cornerstone of about 80 percent of all Covestro products. In a groundbreaking development, Covestro and its partners have pioneered a process using the oxygen depolarized cathode (ODC) that decreases energy consumption in chlorine production by a remarkable 25 percent – a true milestone in energy efficiency and sustainability. This innovative journey began in the 1990s at Leverkusen's chlorine technology center. In this ODC demonstration plant, Covestro continuously develops the innovative technology further: supplying the cathode with oxygen prevents the formation of hydrogen. Thus, only chlorine and sodium hydroxide can be obtained.

Reimagining chlorine production

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.

Innovative chlorine production: From Leverkusen to Tarragona

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.

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