High Performance Membrane for Chlor-Alkali Electrolysis

Currently, chlor-alkali and other electrolytic processes consume more than 6% of the total US electrical generating capacity. With chlorine production of approximately 14 million metric tons in 2004, chlor-alkali is the third most energy intensive process among all U.S. chemical industries. As electrical power accounts for 32 to 39% of chlor-alkali¿s total production costs, efficiency improvements would reduce production costs, decrease national energy consumption, and enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. chlor-alkali industry. This project will develop a novel, dimensionally stable ionomer membrane that offers high ionic conductivity, good ion exclusion capability, and excellent mechanical properties. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: If the concept is proven successful, energy savings on the order of hundreds of billions of watt-hours per year can be realized without changing existing hardware or operating schemes. By creating demand and demonstrating utility in the existing chlor-alkali market, the new manufacturing technology would be at-the-ready for use in the impending hydrogen economy.