【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】1671–2013: China’s first thousand-ton-scale technology for catalytic oxidation of hydrogen chloride to produce chlorine reached operational standards

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Happy May Day 2024! Safety first. Let’s give praise and support to the achievements in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment. **********************[A Decade of Progress in Chemical Engineering Equipment] Regular updates and summaries are available; feel free to join the discussions at https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Forum Website) ***************** On August 8, 2013, Huayi Group’s Shanghai Chlor-Alkali Chemical Co., Ltd. announced that all process parameters of China’s first thousand-ton-scale facility for the catalytic oxidation of hydrogen chloride to produce chlorine gas (using the Deacon technology) had met the required standards, making China the second country in the world to possess this technology. This marks our country’s research and development in technologies for converting hydrogen chloride into chlorine as being at the world’s forefront, and it holds great significance for achieving deep recycling of chlorine resources as well as energy conservation and emission reduction in our country. 　　Shanghai Chlor-Alkali Company stated that the country’s first pilot-scale production facility for manufacturing chlorine gas on a scale of 1,000 tons per year, developed independently by the company and based on fixed-bed tubular reactors and specialized catalysts as its core technologies, has been operating safely and stably since it began production on May 18. All process parameters, with the hydrogen chloride conversion rate serving as a key indicator, have met the design specifications. 　　China is a major producer and consumer of chlorine; its annual chlorine consumption exceeds 20 million tons, accounting for about one-third of the world’s total chlorine consumption. However, in the production of chlorine-consuming products domestically, the utilization rate of chlorine atoms is low; in some cases, it ends up being converted into hydrogen chloride at 100%. Currently, the national production of by-product hydrogen chloride exceeds 5 million tons per year, and finding a use for this hydrogen chloride has become a common issue for the development of the chlor-alkali industry and other industries that utilize chlorine. In this regard, Zhang Wenlei, vice chairman and secretary-general of the China Chlor-Alkali Industry Association, pointed out that given the current overcapacity in the industry, it is necessary to intensify research on how to utilize chlorine in chlorinated products, so as to achieve a circular utilization of chlorine resources and improve application efficiency. This will help reduce the need for new or expanded caustic soda production capacity, realize a “balance between caustic soda and chlorine,” and further optimize and upgrade the industrial structure. 　　Chlor-alkali production is a highly energy-intensive industry; producing 1 ton of chlorine gas requires approximately 2,200 kWh of electricity. If chlorine gas is produced from by-produced hydrogen chloride, it not only enables the recycling of chlorine resources but also **enhances the industry’s level of energy conservation and emission reduction.** For this reason, independently developing Deacon technology has become the dream pursued by the people at Shanghai Chlor-Alkali. 　　Since 2009, the Technology Center of Shanghai Chlor-Alkali Company has mobilized its research forces to devote full effort to developing the Deacon technology. With the support of Huayi Group, the project adhered to an open cooperation approach. It successfully developed the core unit of the fixed-bed tubular reactor and a specialized catalyst with practical economic viability, and filed for **patents. The test results show that the catalyst exhibits good stability and can be used continuously for over 9,600 hours. 　　Reportedly, recently Shanghai Chlor-Alkali Company has been developing an industrial Deacon process package based on this pilot plant. It plans to construct a 100,000-ton-per-year facility for the catalytic oxidation of hydrogen chloride to produce chlorine in the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park by 2016. This will effectively meet the park’s future demand for chlorine and further promote the full circulation of the chlorine industry chain. He Gang, the general manager of the company, told reporters, “Enterprises must rely on technological progress, especially through independent innovation, to gain competitive advantages for development.” The success of this Deacon pilot test is merely the first step in Shanghai Chlor-Alkali’s pursuit of its dreams ； The company will continue to mobilize its resources to overcome challenges and achieve the industrialization of its Deacon technology at an early date. ”