The Current State and an Outlook for the Manufacturing of Caustic Soda and Chlor-alkali Products in Russia

     Caustic soda is one of the key chemical products manufactured by thousands of tonnes and widely used in many industries. How fast the caustic soda manufacturing sector will develop depends to a great extent on the demand for chlor-alkali products, the most important of which is vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).The total demand for caustic soda in Russia in 2007 came to 1.3 million tonnes, just a 4.5% improvement over 2000, while its internal market shrank by 2.0% over the same period. The chlorine industry in Russia is currently represented by 13 companies located in the Volga Federal District, Siberian Federal District, Southern Federal District, and Central Federal District. This article analyses trends in caustic soda production and the challenges that arise in the chlor-alkali sector of Russia. Authors believe that the majority of domestic chlor-alkali producers are bound to start new large-scale PVC and VCM projects in order to stay afloat.

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