This report, sponsored by the Industrial Electrolysis and Electrochemical Engineering Division of The Electrochemical Society, summarizes published information on production, plant capacities, consumption, demand, trends, prices, raw materials, new technology, and environmental issues in the electrolytic and related industries. The material presented in this report was obtained from many sources and does not necessarily represent the opinion of the authors or their employers.Chlor-APkaIi Industry U.S. Production and Capacity-Despite calls by environmentalists to ban chlorine and chlorinated products, the chloralkali market has come through two good years of high demand, production at and above effective capacity, and generous profits. U.S. plants produced 13.0 million tons of chlorine and 13.7 million tons of caustic soda during the year, both numbers representing approximately a 3% increase over 1994 levels.1 The U.S. industry ran flat out in 1995 with effective operating rates at nearly 100%. U.S. bulk contract prices for caustic soda averaged about $230! ton in 1995. Bulk contract prices for chlorine averaged about $170/ton.2 U.S. chlorine
The U.S. Departments of Energy (DOE) and Defense (DOD) generate hazardous wastes as a result of routine operations. Waste types range from solvents, fuels, lubricants, and sludges to streams containing mixtures of these and other inorganic and organic compounds, along with potentially radioactive materials. Many of these compounds are amenable to treatment by electrochemical processes that destroy hazardous organic contaminants in aqueous streams at ambient temperatures and pressure. It is also possible to separate the radioactive components of these wastes from solution using electrochemical processes.
In this article, we discuss the environmental factors and issues associated with electrochemical waste treatment processes. We summarize the federal regulations that compel government agencies to conduct environmental management activities. Applications of electrochemical processes to waste treatment and waste minimization at DOE and DOD sites are presented, and issues associated with acceptance of these processes are addressed.
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