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Article: Can soda ash compete with caustic?
- Article from:
- Chemistry and Industry
- Article date:
- November 2, 1992
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1992 Society of Chemical Industry. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Chlorine among the casinos: Andrew Miller went to the Third Global Chlor-Alkali Symposium in Montecarlo last month.
Caustic soda -- the other half of the chlorine industry -- represents an attractive opportunity for producers of another major alkali, soda ash. But is such substitution likely?
Jean Christiaens, managing director of Solvay's alkali business, told delegates it might happen in the paper industry, but only slowly. And while it is possible to convert soda ash (|Na.sub.2~C|O.sub.3~) directly to caustic soda (NaOH), he said it is too expensive to be profitable -- though Solvay bought a causticising unit in Wyoming earlier this year (C&I 1992, 319).
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