Calcium Chloride Manufacturing Process

Solvay Process

 Chemical Process of high purity limestone and salt brine to produce soda ash and
Calcium Chloride
 CaCO3 + 2NaCl ---> Na2CO3 + CaCl2
 Produces a wide range of concentrations of both High Grade Liquid and Dry forms

HCl Process

 Reaction of HCl and Limestone (or other source of Calcium)

 Produces a wide range of concentrations of both High Grade Liguid and Dry forms

Natural Brine

 Often pumped out of underground naturally occuring sources

 Strength of liguid generally weaker and often inconsistent
 Contains impurities primarily in the form of other Chlorides
 Rarely find capability of producing Dry Forms

Strengthened Brine

 Natural Brine is processed generally with heat to increase concentration and

consistency

Brine Purification

 Natural Brine is processed to remove impurities

Bi-Product

 Calcium Chloride can be produced as a bi-product or waste of a chemical process

 Calcium Chloride Production

Production Methods

This section covers some general principles for production of calcium chloride and gives
an overview of the production processes utilised by TETRA in Kokkola (Finland),
Helsingborg (Sweden) and Frankfurt (Germany).

 
Basic Production Processes

Calcium chloride is produced mainly by two different processes—the limestone-

hydrochloric acid and the natural brine process. The selection of process is usually
determined by the supply of raw materials and transportation and energy costs.

To read a brief overview of each process, click on one of the following links:

 The limestone-hydrochloric acid process

 The natural brine process

Limestone-Hydrochloric Acid Process

Limestone can be treated with hydrochloric acid to form calcium chloride and carbon
dioxide:  

If concentrated (36%) hydrochloric acid is utilised, the concentration of CaCl2 in

the produced solution will be approximately 40% and further evaporation is only
needed when flakes are produced. The purification of the product is
mainly accomplished by adding Ca(OH)2 as described in the natural brine process.
The high purity of the produced carbon dioxide (CO2)makes it suitable for
applications within the food and pharmaceutical industries e.g., in the production of
carbonated soft drinks.

The limestone process is utilised for calcium chloride production in our

Helsingborg, Sweden (view process), Kokkola, Finland (view process) and
Frankfurt, Germany (view process) facilities. The limestone comes from Gotland in
the Baltic Sea and the hydrochloric acid is produced at neighbouring chemical
plants.

Extremely pure calcium chloride products can be obtained using this process if the
purity of the hydrochloric acid and limestone is sufficient. Hence, the process is
well suited for producing food grade products. It is also an environmentally
friendly method to utilise by-product hydrochloric acid.

The Natural Brine Process

In the U.S., production is utilised by the concentration and purification of naturally

occurring brines from salt lakes and salt deposits. Magnesium is removed by
adding milk of lime, Ca(OH)2, which causes magnesium to precipitate in the form
of magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2. Sodium chloride, NaCl, is removed by
precipitation; sodium chloride precipitates from the CaCl2 solution when the
concentration of calcium chloride is increased during the evaporation of water.

The advantage of this source of calcium chloride is the low raw material cost and
low environmental impact. However, the purity of the product is normally lower
than the competing processes.