A Sustainable Integration Approach of Chlor-Alkali Industries for the Production of PVC and Clean Fuel Hydrogen: Prospects and Bangladesh Perspectives

The chlor-alkali industries produce caustic soda (NaOH), chlorine (Cl-2), and hydrogen (H-2) as primary products. In 2021, the global chlor-alkali market was valued at $63.2 billion. The article evaluates the global aspects of chlor-alkali industries and prospects for Bangladesh. The current production capacity of NaOH from the chlor-alkali industries in Bangladesh is around 282,150 metric tons/year (MT/y). The by-products, chlorine (Cl-2) of 250,470 MT/y and hydrogen (H-2) of 7055 MT/y, are produced domestically. The local demand of Cl-2 is 68,779 MT/y. However, there are no systematic utilizations of the residual Cl-2 and vented H-2, which threatens the sustainability of the chlor-alkali industries. The article prefigures that a 150,000 MT/y PVC plant can utilize 45.2 % of residual Cl-2 of chlor-alkali plants, which would be an economical and environmental milestone for Bangladesh. The residual Cl-2 can earn revenue of 908 million USD/y, which can be utilized to import ethylene. For the sustainable utilization of vented H-2, production of H2O2, fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) and H-2 fuel-cell-based power plant are the feasible solutions. Thus, for the long-term growth of the chlor-alkali industry in Bangladesh and other developing countries, systematic utilization of Cl-2 and H-2 is the only feasible solution.

Automated summary

The article evaluates the global chlor-alkali industry and discusses the prospects for Bangladesh. It highlights the lack of systematic utilization of by-products, chlorine and hydrogen, which threatens the sustainability of the industry. The article proposes feasible solutions, such as utilizing residual chlorine for new production, producing other chemicals from vented hydrogen, and using hydrogen as fuel. For the long-term growth of the chlor-alkali industry in Bangladesh and other developing countries, systematic utilization of chlorine and hydrogen is the only feasible solution.