Groundbreaking advance: Bayer MaterialScience intends to substantially reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions by means of a new industrial production process. A demonstration plant with an annual capacity of 20,000 metric tons of chlorine has now gone on stream at the Chempark in Krefeld-Uerdingen.
The oxygen-depolarized cathode technology used there has been incorporated into the new electrolysis technology from Uhde/UHDENORA. The combination of these two technologies was developed at Bayer in Leverkusen over the last eight years. Provided the two-year large-scale trial is successful, Bayer will gradually switch its chlorine production to the new process. In addition, the companies also plan to offer the new technology on the global market. Large German chlorine producers have already announced their interest, as have a number of companies in the Asia/Pacific region.
“Improving energy efficiency in chemical production processes can considerably reduce electricity consumption in Germany and elsewhere in the world,” says Bayer MaterialScience CEO Patrick Thomas. “In the current debate, the subject of energy efficiency is not being given enough air-time because politicians are too focused on electricity generation. They need to pay more attention to the question of how to significantly lower electricity consumption with comparatively little effort.”