Issue
The mercury-cell process is one of three manufacturing processes used by the chloralkali sector to produce chlorine and caustic soda. Mercury-cell chlor-alkali production remains a significant use of mercury globally and can be an important source of mercury releases to the environment.
The sector witnesses global decline in mercury use as mercury-cell facilities age and a number of facilities are encouraged to close and/or move to mercury-free processes. Mercury-cell facilities, which close or convert to non-mercury technologies, require careful site management as well as management of any excess mercury.
More from Mercury cell chlor-alkali production
Objective
The Partnership Area works to significantly minimize and where feasible, eliminate global mercury releases to air, water, and land that may occur from chlor-alkali production facilities. Its objectives are to:
- Prevent the construction of new mercury-cell chlor-alkali production facilities;
- Reduce mercury emissions and use from existing mercury-cell facilities;
- Encourage conversion to non-mercury processes;
- Reduce or eliminate mercury releases from waste generated by chlor-alkali production facilities including waste from conversion to non-mercury processes; and
- Promote environmentally-sound options for storage of surplus mercury to limit downstream releases from surplus mercury generated by the conversion, phase-out, or closure of mercurycell
- chlor-alkali facilities.
Strategy
The Partnership Area provides economic, technical, and educational information to chloralkali production facility partners, governments, and other stakeholders. It promotes commercially competitive and environmentally responsible solutions for eliminating mercury use in chlor-alkali production.
Partnership Area Leads
- Ozunimi Iti - UNIDO
- tbc - US Environmental Agency Protection
