Chlor-Alkali is an important set of chemicals made up of chlorine, caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), caustic potash (potassium hydroxide) and hydrogen. These are critical chemical and material ingredients with many uses in Europe. Find out more here

Chlorine, along with caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) and hydrogen, is mostly made using an electrolysis process from salt, water and electricity. About 8 million tonnes of chlorine is made in Europe each year. More information on this can be found here

Chlorine has many uses including as a disinfectant for drinking water and swimming pools but also in the production of important materials such as PVC, polyurethane, epoxy resin and more.

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A key role for Euro Chlor is the safe production and use of chlorine, caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), caustic potash (potassium hydroxide) and hydrogen. This is the work of Euro Chlor’s Technical Committees and is the basis of many of the best practice documents we work on.

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Euro Chlor’s goals are for a safe and sustainable industry. Much of this is done via the working groups of Euro Chlor and the regular Technology Conference. More information on this can be found in the annual industry review and Sustainability Report

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We support a safe, sustainable and successful Chlor-Alkali Industry for Europe. More information on our activities can be found here

Chlorine is a highly reactive element which, whilst not existing by itself in nature, exists in combination with other elements. These can be split into inorganic chlorinated substances (like sodium chloride, common salt) and organic chlorinated substances (organochlorines) from sources like the ocean algae and plankton, forest fires and fungal activity. You even have chlorine in your body as chlorinated compounds are indispensable to the functioning of the vital organs. For example, hydrochloric acid plays a key role in the digestive process: in your stomach!

Chlorine was discovered by Carl W. Scheele (1742-1786) in 1774, but it was not yet known as an element. Due to its strong oxidising properties, the gas that Scheele found was thought by most chemists to contain oxygen and was called oxymuriatic acid (muriatic acid being HCl or hydrochloric acid).

Then, Humphry Davy (1778-1829) exposed this gas to white-hot carbon to remove the oxygen as carbon dioxide. As he was unable to produce oxygen, he finally concluded that chlorine had to be an element. Because of its greenish yellow colour, he called it “chlorine” after the Greek “chloros” meaning ‘yellow-green’.

When used responsibly, correctly and safely, chlorine-based chemicals are critical for society. For example, chlorinated disinfectants are essential tools in keeping our recreational, home and work environments clean and healthy. There are even suggestions that, in just 100 years, chlorinated disinfectants have saved more lives than any other single health development in history! However, such disinfectants should not be mixed with other chemicals (such as drain cleaners) as these can generate hazardous gases.

Yes, Chlor-Alkali hydrogen is of high purity and requires significantly less electricity to produce compared to other methods like water electrolysis. Producing 1 kg of hydrogen via Chlor-Alkali uses only 1.3 kWh of electricity, compared to 60 kWh for water electrolysis (if oxygen is vented). This makes it a low-carbon, efficient energy carrier when powered by climate-neutral electricity.

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• Generating steam or electricity
• Heating industrial buildings
• Chemical synthesis (e.g., ammonia, methanol, hydrogen peroxide, hydrochloric acid)

Pilot fuel cell projects for vehicles and transport.

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• Lack of infrastructure (pipelines, filling stations, etc.)
• Limited access to renewable electricity
• Absence of certification schemes for green hydrogen

Safety and storage concerns due to hydrogen’s flammable properties

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Yes. Chlor-Alkali hydrogen is already available across Europe, is low in CO₂ emissions, and can support the EU’s climate neutrality targets. With proper infrastructure and policy support, it could play a significant role in decarbonising sectors like transport, heating, and chemical manufacturing.

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It has a very low carbon footprint: between 0.2 and 0.55 kg CO₂ eq/kg H₂, depending on the electricity source (this is over 90% lower than hydrogen produced from fossil fuels).

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The unused hydrogen could help kick-start Europe’s low-carbon hydrogen economy, especially in sectors seeking renewable and low-emission energy sources.

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Yes. When produced using renewable electricity, the hydrogen and other Chlor-Alkali products can be classified as renewable.

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From : Hydrogen Infographics (PDF)

The European Chlor-Alkali production capacity for hydrogen today is around 270,000 tonnes, meaning around 3,5% of the total hydrogen made in Europe.

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