Industrial Chemicals
The industrial chemicals of Tessenderlo Group are the products and derivatives obtained from the electrolysis of brine. Chlorine, caustic soda and caustic potash are the most important products obtained directly from the electrolysis process.
The total chlorine capacity of Tessenderlo Group amounts to about 400,000 tonnes of chlorine per annum and the equivalent quantities of caustic soda and caustic potash. The largest units of the group are located in Belgium at the Tessenderlo site, where one of the electrolyses uses the energy efficient membrane process.
The other electrolyses are located in Loos, near Lille in the northern part of France and in Italy, at Pieve Vergonte, north of Milan.
Tessenderlo is the biggest inland port in Belgium allowing shipping by barges throughout N-W Europe and smooth access to the Antwerp seaport.
Our Chemicals
The chlorine is used internally, for the production of VCM (Tessenderlo), ferric chloride (Loos and Tessenderlo) and for the chlorination of benzene and toluene at Tessenderlo and Pieve Vergonte.
Caustic soda is used in a wide variety of applications such as alumina, in the papermaking industry, in chemicals, for water treatment and the manufacture of detergents and soaps, rayon.
Caustic potash is used for the production of potassium carbonate, detergents, fertilisers, alkali batteries, de-icers, etc.
The following industrial chemicals are also produced by Tessenderlo Group:
hydrochloric acid;
sodium hypo chlorite;
potassium carbonate;
sulphur derivatives (sodium sulphide and sodium hydrosulphide);
inorganic chlorides (ammonium chloride).
These chlor-alkali derivatives (depending upon the type) are used in specific applications such as detergents, tanning, photographic products, food, disinfectants, cleaning products and mining (ore flotation).
Ferric chloride and aluminium chloride are the other inorganic chlorides produced by Tessenderlo Group, both used for water treatment.
