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(BAT) Reference Document for the Production of Chlor-alkali ...

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Chapter 4<br />

Table 4.2: Data from <strong>the</strong> conversion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Borregaard chlor-<strong>alkali</strong> plant to <strong>the</strong> membrane<br />

cell technique technology<br />

Context <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> old production units:<br />

cell room built in 1949: 3 floors, 122 cells;<br />

mercury air emissions to air: 1.4 g/tonne chlorine capacity;<br />

mercury water emissions to water (water ion exchange process): 0.25 g/tonne chlorine capacity.<br />

Driving <strong>for</strong>ces <strong>for</strong> conversion:<br />

demand from <strong>the</strong> Norwegian authorities to switch to a mercury-free technique process;<br />

demand <strong>for</strong> higher production <strong>of</strong> sodium hydroxide and wish to lower operating costs.<br />

The conversion:<br />

decision made to convert: autumn 1995;<br />

conversion carried out: autumn 1997;<br />

shutdown time: 7 weeks.<br />

Characteristics <strong>of</strong> new plant:<br />

chlorine capacity 40 kt/yr 40000 tonnes Cl2 capacity/year at 4.35 kA/m 2 ;<br />

supplier: Asahi Glass Co. Ltd. Japan<br />

engineering: Krebs-Swiss<br />

electrolyser: AZEC-B1 bipolar, 4 electrolysers, each 75 cells, 4.35 kA/m 2 ;<br />

membrane area: 2.88 m 2 per cell.<br />

membrane: Flemion 893<br />

Reused equipment:<br />

rectifiers;<br />

hydrogen treatment and HCl production units;<br />

chlorine compression and liquefaction section and compression.<br />

New equipment:<br />

cell room <strong>for</strong> electrolysers: <strong>the</strong> existing building was considered old and mercury-contaminated;<br />

electrolysis section;<br />

brine circuit: brine filtration unit, ion exchange unit, brine dechlorination unit;<br />

sodium hydroxide recirculation concentration unit and evaporation system;<br />

chlorine gas drying unit and chlorine gas absorption unit;<br />

power supply and wiring (excluding rectifiers);<br />

pumps, instruments and piping.<br />

Cost <strong>of</strong> conversion:<br />

Total cost <strong>of</strong> conversion was about NOK 210 million NOK (EUR 26.6 million euros in October<br />

1997) corresponding to about EUR 665 euros/tonne chlorine capacity. This figure includes<br />

EUR 2.4 million euros <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> clean-up <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> old plant and <strong>the</strong> storage <strong>of</strong> mercury-contaminated<br />

waste but excludes <strong>the</strong> clean-up <strong>of</strong> soil pollution.<br />

Economic benefits:<br />

electricity: 30 % reduced per tonne 100 % NaOH produced;<br />

personnel: 25 % reduced;<br />

some mercury sold <strong>for</strong> batteries, instruments and to mercury cell chlor-<strong>alkali</strong> plants;<br />

return on investment: five 5 years (depending on <strong>the</strong> caustic market).<br />

WORKING DRAFT IN PROGRESS<br />

Decommissioning:<br />

no clean-up <strong>of</strong> mercury-contaminated soil;<br />

monitoring <strong>of</strong> mercury emissions to air from old cell room;<br />

construction <strong>of</strong> a sealed disposal facility <strong>for</strong> mercury-contaminated wastes: building volume<br />

1800 m 3 , 3 special membranes with sand filter seals in between. The bunker is ventilated and <strong>the</strong><br />

vented air led through a carbon filter. The majority <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> wastes (about 55 %) was mercurycontaminated<br />

process equipment (steel and rubberlined steel);<br />

95 tonnes <strong>of</strong> mercury drained from <strong>the</strong> cells.<br />

Source: [ 227, de Flon 1998 ][de Flon, 1998]<br />

TB/EIPPCB/CAK_Draft_1 December 2011 151

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