New Technology for the Production of Sodium Hydroxide

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目是在电化学和无机合成的子领域的分析和表面化学的一般领域。在美国，烧碱的产量达到36,500吨/天，主要是通过电解盐水生产的。由于环境原因，阳极产品氯承受着相当大的压力。例如，纸浆和造纸行业的销售额正在下降，因为纸制品中形成了二恶英的痕迹。此外，破坏臭氧的碳化合物，如氯氟烃和甲基氯仿，很可能被不含氯的替代品所取代。因此，人们对不生产氯而生产高纯度苛性碱的新技术产生了相当大的兴趣。在第一阶段的研究工作中，将研究一些用于生产氢氧化钠的新型电解电池的性能，而不需要共同生产氯。电池将使用现代膜和电极材料，并将通过一种既节能又环保的技术将非卤素钠盐转化为高纯度的氢氧化钠。该工艺在一定范围内具有经济可行性，特别适合于现场生产5至40个无氯离子等杂质的氢氧化钠流。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is in the general area of analytical and surface chemistry in the subfields of electrochemistry and inorganic synthesis. Caustic is produced in the USA to the extent of 36,500T/day, mainly by the electrolysis of brine. The anode product, chlorine, is under considerable pressure for environmental reasons. For example, sales are declining to the pulp and paper industry because of traces of dioxin formed in paper products. Also, ozone destroying carbon compounds like chlorofluorocarbons and methylchloroform are very likely to be replaced by non-chlorine containing substitutes. As a result there is considerable interest in new technologies to produce high purity caustic without chlorine production. The performance of some novel electrolytic cells for the manufacture of sodium hydroxide, without co-production of chlorine, will be investigated in the Phase I research work. The cells will use modern membranes and electrodes materials and will be designed to convert non-halogen sodium salts to high purity, aqueous sodium hydroxide by a technology which is both highly energy efficient and friendly to the environment. The process should be economically viable over a range of scales and be particularly suited to the on- site production of 5 to 40 sodium hydroxide streams free of impurities such as chloride ion.