Our Knowledge of Current Markets Is Informed by History
By the late 18th century there was a growing demand in Europe for soda ash (sodium carbonate) to manufacture soap, textiles and glass. At that time soda ash was produced by burning sodium-rich seaweed leaving the sodium carbonate in the form of ash. The main producers were Spain using barrilla and Scotland using kelp. While effective, this process could not produce large volumes to meet the growing demand.
France’s soap, textile and glass industries were expanding and there was growing concern surrounding its dependence on imported soda ash. In order to become self-sufficient, the French Academy of Science offered a prize to anyone who could manufacture sodium carbonate from salt. Nicholas Leblanc rose to the challenge and won by developing the Leblanc process, which was used during the early 19th century. Unfortunately, due to the French Revolution, he never received his prize.
The Leblanc process was eventually replaced by the Solvay ammonia-soda process, which was more economical and less polluting than the Leblanc method. The rights to the Solvay process technology were acquired by Brunner Mond, who was instrumental in making the process a commercial success.
Increased demand for soap, textiles and glass requiring growing quantities of sodium carbonate, resulting in the Leblanc process, was the beginning of the chlor-alkali industry and a milestone for the chemical industry.
Today the industry uses a sodium chloride solution (salt brine) as its raw material – just as the French Academy hoped for. The brine is electrolysed to produce chlorine and caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) on an industrial scale. The energy consumption is high in the production process, for every ton of chlorine and 1.12 tons of caustic soda about 2,400 kWh of electricity is required. Reducing electricity consumption is an on-going concern for the industry and technology companies.
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