The chlor-alkali industry provides raw materials for thousands of consumer products, making quality control critical. TOC monitoring is an effective way to control manufacturing process purity.

Chlor-Alkali

Sodium hydroxide is produced along with chlorine and hydrogen gas via the chlor-alkali process. The chlor-alkali process is an industrial chemical process based on the electrolysis of a near saturated, saturated, or super-saturated sodium chloride solution for the production of sodium hydroxide and chlorine. Total world production of chlor-alkali exceeds 45 million tons annually, and any small efficiencies made to the process can increase profits and product quality.

The process begins with the raw brine solution which is saturated, filtered and delivered to the electrolytic bath. A large electric current is applied and the generation of chlorine gas, hydrogen gas, and caustic solution begins. During the generation process, each of the three byproducts are appropriately cleaned and either sold or utilized for other internal processes. Testing for TOC (total organic carbon) can take place at any given point of the brine handling before entering the electrolytic cells. Once the TOC level reaches a critical point, a manufacturer can take action before costly damage occurs to the process.

The Sievers InnovOx Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Analyzer is ideal for chlor-alkali applications, and can easily handle challenging samples such as brine with minimal maintenance. Compared to combustion technologies, the InnovOx can help chlor-alkali producers substantially improve efficiency and uptime.