Ice-free in winter

Caustic potash solutions are intermediates for essential substances required in a wide range of applications - and not only at airports. Which is why, at its Lülsdorf site on the Rhine, Evonik operates a unique integrated production plant where chloralkali products are produced. The caustic potash electrolysis facility in Lülsdorf is the second largest in Europe, and Evonik is the European market leader in the derivatives potassium carbonate and potassium hydrogen carbonate.

Caustic potash (KOH), usually offered as a 50 percent solution, is processed, after reaction with the corresponding acids, to inorganic potassium salts such as potassium benzoate, potassium phosphate, potassium gluconate, potassium sorbate, and potassium citrate. These products are essential materials in the food, agricultural, and pharmaceutical industries. Used in the digestion of cocoa beans, for example, potassium carbonate improves the taste of chocolate. Caustic potash is also used in soaps und detergents where it supports cleaning action - and of course as an anti-icing agent at airports. It is also employed for neutralization in a number of chemical processes.

The derivative potassium carbonate is formed by reaction of caustic potash with CO₂. It is available as a 50 percent solution and also in the form of hydrate, granules, or powder. Here again the important buyers are the food, agricultural, and pharmaceutical markets. Other applications include additives for animal feeds, complex liquid fertilizers for high-quality fruit and vegetables, and chemical mechanical polishing, which is the final polishing of silicon wafers.

Finally, potassium hydrogen carbonate, also known as potassium bicarbonate, is produced by double carbonization. This product is used mainly in raising agents for baking, as a sodium-free alternative to sodium bicarbonate.

Two main products exist on the "chlorine" side of chloralkali: chlorine, in liquefied and gaseous form, and ethylene dichloride (EDC). Due to its excellent quality, the EDC produced in Lülsdorf is used mainly as a raw material in the production of higher-grade ethyleneamines. Among other uses, liquid chlorine is processed at Evonik's Wesseling site into cyanuric chloride, which is required in the production of optical brighteners. Product availability, supply security, quality, and the service provided by the Lülsdorf site are crucial factors in the business success of these products.

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