MOSCOW (MRC) -- Euro Chlor (Brussels, Belgium), the European association of chlor-alkali manufacturers, has released its latest strategy for the sustainability of the chlor-alkali industry to 2050, said Chemweek.
The strategy, released at the association’s annual general assembly on Friday, “defines what the sector aims to look like by 2050, as well as the direction planned to ensure that this safe, competitive, and green European chlor-alkali industry will be here for the benefit of Europe in 2050,” it says. The work on the strategy began in the run up to Euro Chlor’s third 10-year Sustainability Program covering 2021-2030, and builds on Cefic’s own mid-century vision, released last year. Euro Chlor is a sector group within Cefic, the European chemical industry association. The 2050 strategy also addresses some future needs of European society in the context of the EU’s Green Deal, it says.
Euro Chlor aims to keep safety as its main priority, as well as stepping up its focus on safe transportation of its members’ products. It also “plans to contribute to Europe’s climate-neutral ambitions by further focusing on its drive for energy efficiency, and more closely investigating its carbon footprint,” it says. This includes determining the chlor-alkali industry’s role in a more electrified, greener future, and “striving for 100% hydrogen utilization,” which will help to keep the industry competitive, it says. It will also “better close the loop in its own production processes, and work together with downstream users to increase circularity in the downstream chlorine value chain,” it adds.
The launch of the mid-century strategy, originally planned for earlier this year, was postponed until the AGM due to COVID-19, says the association. Euro Chlor’s annual technology conference is planned to be held on 4-6 May 2021, where an update on the strategy’s progress will be given, it says. Euro Chlor has 38 producing members operating 60 manufacturing locations in 19 countries in Europe, representing 97% of all European production capacity.
Europe’s chlor-alkali industry completed the phase-out of mercury-cell technology at Europe’s chlorine plants in 2018, with an ongoing program to dispose safely of the liquid mercury via conversion into mercury sulfide and safe storage in salt mines by the end of 2022. At the end of 2018, Euro Chlor members reported 2,947 metric tons of liquid mercury on site, with 1,146 metric tons being converted in 2018. This means we are on target to meet the 2022 deadline,” Baune noted.
As MRC informed earlier, Russia's output of chemical products rose in June 2020 by 2.6% year on year. However, production of basic chemicals increased year on year by 4.9% in the first six months of 2020. According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, polymers in primary form accounted for the greatest increase in the output in January-June. Production of benzene was 106,000 tonnes in June 2020, compared to 110,000 tonnes a month earlier. Overall output of this product reached 721,000 tonnes over the stated period, up by 3.9% year on year.
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