In the production of chlorinated hydrocarbons and titanium dioxide pigments, elemental chlorine (Cl2) is used as a reactant and HCl is produced as an unavoidable byproduct. Stringent environmental regulations limit the shipment of hazardous wastes like HCl, and the disposal of HCl by neutralization is costly. Although processes exist for converting waste HCl back to Cl2, they become too expensive when the concentration of the waste HCl is low. This project will develop improvements to a new process that uses a regenerable sorbent to recover HCl from waste streams. The sorbent removes very low levels of the HCl, which can be regenerated with oxygen to produce Cl2. Previous work showed that the new process has the potential to reduce the cost of Cl2 to less than half of the cost of fresh chlorine. Phase I will improve the sorbent and test it under conditions that are anticipated for the process. Multiple cycles will be conducted to show that the improved sorbent has the potential for long life. Commercial Applications And Other Benefits as described by awardee: The new process should reduce both energy consumption and the cost of chlorine recovery over existing processes, improving both the economics of the chlorine and eliminating waste emissions.
