Deacon process

Process

The process was based on the oxidation of hydrogen chloride: :4 HCl + O2 → 2 Cl2 + 2H2O

The reaction takes place at about 400 to 450 °C in the presence of a variety of catalysts, including copper chloride (CuCl2). Three companies developed commercial processes for producing chlorine based on the Deacon reaction:

• The Kel-Chlor process developed by the M. W. Kellogg Company, which utilizes nitrosylsulfuric acid.
• The Shell-Chlor process developed by the Shell Oil Company, which utilizes copper catalysts.
• The MT-Chlor process developed by the Mitsui Toatsu Company, which utilizes chromium-based catalysts.

The Deacon process is now outdated technology. Most chlorine today is produced by using electrolytic processes. New catalysts based on ruthenium(IV) oxide have been developed by Sumitomo.

Leblanc-Deacon process

The Leblanc-Deacon process is a modification of the Leblanc process. The Leblanc process was notoriously environmentally unfriendly, and resulted in some of the first Air and Water pollution acts. In 1874, Henry Deacon had derived a process to reduce HCl emissions as mandated by the Alkali Act. In this process, hydrogen chloride is oxidized by oxygen over a copper chloride catalyst, resulting in the production of chlorine. This was widely used in the paper and textile industries as a bleaching agent, and as a result sodium carbonate was no longer the primary product of these plants, and henceforth sold at a loss.

References

References

1. Peter Schmittinger et al. "Chlorine," Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co, 2006, {{doi. 10.1002/14356007.a06_399.pub2
2. K. Seki, Catal. Surv. Asia 14, 168 (2010) {{doi. 10.1007/s10563-010-9091-7.