Chlorine / Caustic Soda

Arkema is Europe’s 3rd leading producer of chlorochemicals with a fully integrated chlorine activity from salt electrolysis to PVC converting.

Arkema’s Chlorine / Soda business unit teams operate from three production sites in France: Fos-sur-Mer and Lavéra in Bouches-du-Rhône, and Jarrie in Isère.

The Chlorine / Soda business unit produces and markets chlorine and its derivatives:

Chlorine, a base raw material, is obtained from the electrolysis of salt, i.e. sodium chloride. Electrolysis consists in running an electric current through the brine, a solution of salt in water, to produce chlorine, hydrogen and caustic soda in stoichiometric proportions. Most of the chlorine produced is used in the manufacture of organic and mineral chlorine derivatives.

Soda is used as an alkalinization and neutralization agent by many sectors of industry, including food processing, cosmetics, metallurgy, paper, chemicals, detergence, etc.

Organic chlorine derivatives: methyl chloride, methylene chloride, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, are used as solvents in pharmaceuticals or as synthesis intermediates in the chemical industry, in particular in the manufacture of fluorinated fluids and polymers.

Mineral chlorine derivatives: hydrochloric acid, used as a manufacturing aid in the pharmaceuticals industry, metallurgy, electronics, the food industry, bleach (Bactivel®), one of the most effective disinfectants against a large number of microbial strains.

Technical fluids: heat-transfer fluids (Jarytherm®), dielectric fluids (Jarylec®), solvents (Jarysol®).

Vinyl chloride monomer, for the manufacture of PVC.