The chlor-alkali, sulphur, nitrogen and phosphorus industries

THE CHLOR-ALKALI, SULPHUR, NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS INDUSTRIES 

The bulk of the manufacturing chemical industry is restricted to about a dozen compounds and it is with these that this chapter is concerned.  

The change in manufacture of some of the most common inorganic chemicals is shown in Table 3.1. The recession in 1981 resulted in a 

However, the trend is uneven—production of ammonia has continued to decline in the USA during 1983, dropping from third to sixth place in the production rankings. This picture has been repeated with other compounds such as nitric acid and urea, which are used in fertilizer production. 

It will be seen that the majority of these compounds are prepared from a small range of raw materials. A glance at the flow charts above will show clearly that these substances are air, natural gas (or naphtha/coke), limestone, salt (from rocksalt or brine) sulphur and phosphate rock. The other main ingredients are water and heat. It is easy to see just how integrated the chemical industry can be. 

---