Chemical Engineering Department

Faculty of Engineering
Cairo University 2018/ 2019

Technical Report
About
Hydrochloric acid

Under Supervision

Professor/ Ahmed Soliman

by
Ahmed Elsayed Mohamed Ibrahim
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of cotents........................................................................................i
List of tables........................................................................................... ii
List of figures ........................................................................................iii
Summary……………………………………………………………..…4
Chapter (1) …................................................................................... 5-12
1.1introduction…….......................................................................6
1.2 Manufacture of Hydrogen Chloride……………..………7-9
1.2.1Hydrogen Chloride in the laboratory ........................…...7
1.2.2Industrial Preparation of HCL…..………………………8-9
1.3industral market……………………………………………....9
1.3properties……………………………………………………..10-11
1.3.1physical properties……………….………………...………10
1.3.2chemical properties…………………………………….…..11
1.4storage………………………………………………………….12
1.5transportion…………………………………………..……….12
Chapter (2)…………………………….…………………………...…13-22
2.1pickling steel……………………………………………….…14
2.2ore processing……………………………………………..15-16
2.2.1 Rutile………………………………………………………...15
2.2.2Phosphorus………..…………………………………………16
2.3oil well acidizing………………………………………………17
2.4food …………………………………………………..………...18
2.5cleaning pool……………………………………………….….18
2.6regeneration of ion exchangers……………….…………..…18
2.7production of calcium chloride……………….………….….19
2.8PH control and neutralization………………..……………...20
2.9Digesting foods…………………………………...……………20
2.10for the purification of table salts……………………..…….20
2.11Production of inorganic compounds…………………….…21
2.12Production of organic compounds……………….…………21
2.13Around the House…………………………………….………22
Chapter (3)…………………………….…………………………….….23-28
3.1Hazards……………………………………………………….…24
3.2Respiratory Protection………………………...……………25-27
3.3Safety Precautions………………………………...……………27
3.4First Aid…………………………………………………………28
References………………………….……….……………………………..29

1
 List of tables

Table .1 physical properties……………………………………..….10

Table . 2 Elemental analysis of the rutile ore by ICP-MS……….16

2
 List of figures

Fig:1 Hydrogen Chloride in the laboratory…………………………..………….7

Fig:2 show Recycle stream process……………………………………………….9

Fig:3 Melting temperature as a function of HCl concentration in water…..10

Fig.4.. X-ray spectra of rutile ore…………………………………………………15

Fig :5 Oil well ……………………………………………………………………...17

Fig: 6 pH Control and neutralization……………………………………………20

Fig: 7 table salt……………………………………………………………………..20

Fig: 8 PROTECTIVE CLOTHING……………………………………………….24

Fig:9 MOUTHPIECE RESPIRATOR……………………………………………25

Fig:10 FULL FACE AIR PURIFYING RESPIRATOR…………………………26

Fig :11 SELF-CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS……………….27

3
 Summary

Hydrochloric acid is a colorless inorganic chemical

system with the formula H2O:HCl. Hydrochloric acid
has a distinctive pungent smell. Hydrochloric acid is an
important and widely used chemical. Hydrochloric acid
is a corrosive liquid, and it must be stored. The largest
end uses for hydrochloric acid are steel pickling, oil well
acidizing, food manufacturing, producing calcium
chloride, Cleaning pool ,Regeneration of ion exchangers
,pH Control and neutralization ,For the purification of
Table Salt, Production of inorganic compounds
,Production of organic compounds and ore processing.
Hydrochloric Acid is hazardous chemical and should be
Personnel should be properly handled with extreme care
trained in the handling of hydrochloric acid and should
always wear the proper protective equipment when
working around hydrochloric acid

4
 Chapter 1
Introduction

5
Hydrochloric acid
is a colorless inorganic chemical system with the
formula H2O:HCl. Hydrochloric acid has a distinctive pungent
smell. It is mainly produced as a precursor to vinyl
chloride for PVC. It is classified as strongly acidic and can attack
the skin over a wide composition range, since the hydrogen
chloride practically dissociates completely in solution.
Hydrochloric acid is the simplest chlorine-based acid system
containing water.
It is a solution of hydrogen chloride and water, and a variety of
other chemical species, including hydronium and chloride ions. It
is an important chemical reagent and industrial chemical, used
primarily in the production of polyvinyl chloride for plastic. In
households, diluted hydrochloric acid is often used as
a descaling agent. In the food industry, hydrochloric acid used
as a food additive and in the production of gelatin, Hydrochloric
acid is also used in leather processing.
Hydrochloric acid was discovered by the alchemist Jabir ibn
Hayyan around the year 800 AD. Hydrochloric acid was
historically called acidum salis, muriatic acid, and spirits of
salt because it was produced from rock salt and "green vitriol"
(Iron(II) sulfate) (by Basilius Valentinus in the 15th century) and
later from the chemically similar common salt and sulfuric
acid (by Johann Rudolph Glauberin the 17th century). Free
hydrochloric acid was first formally described in the 16th century
by Libavius. Later, it was used by chemists such
as Glauber, Priestley, and Davy in their scientific research.
Unless pressurized or cooled, hydrochloric acid will turn into a
gas if there is around 60% or less of water. Hydrochloric acid is
also known as hydronium chloride.

6
Manufacture of Hydrogen Chloride

1-Hydrogen Chloride in the laboratory

We produce Hydrogen Chloride in the laboratory by treating sodium

chloride with concentrated sulphuric acid. We, then, heat this mixture up to
420K.

420K

NaCl + H2SO4 → NaHSO4 + HCl

We get Sodium bisulphate as a by-product. This is insoluble. Therefore, we

further mix it with more sodium chloride. This mixture has to be further
warmed to a higher temperature of around 823K. It gives dissolvable
sodium sulfate and HCl gas.

823K

NaHSO4 + NaCl → Na2SO4 + HCl

We dry this HCl by treating it with concentrated sulphuric acid. HCl is not
dried over phosphorus pentoxide or brisk lime. This is because it reacts
with both of these compounds.

Fig:1 Hydrogen Chloride in the laboratory

7
2- Industrial Preparation of HCL
Basic Principle:

1- Burner Process

Chlorine and hydrogen react exothermally to form hydrogen

chloride gas as follows:

Cl2 + H2 2HCl

Both gases pass through a burner nozzle, and are ignited inside a
graphite combustion chamber,

which is cooled by water. The hydrogen chloride gas produced is

cooled, and absorbed into water

to give hydrochloric acid at the desired concentration

2-Synthesis Process

The starting substances for the synthesis are hydrogen and

chlorine. Hydrogen and chlorine are fed into a burner at controlled rates.
The burner consists of two concentric tubes with chlorine flowing through
the inner tube and hydrogen through the outer annulus.Above the
burner, the gases are ignited to produce hydrogen chloride gas. A
hydrogen flow of at least 5% stoichiometric excess is recommended to
ensure that a complete synthesis takes place
3- Absorption
The hydrogen chloride gas, at a temperature of 2000 to 2500°C,
flows from the combustion chamber into an integrated isothermal falling-
film absorber. The HCl gas is then absorbed by water or weak acid. The
absorber is either co-current or counter-current depending on the type of
synthesis.
5- Concentration
The hydrochloric acid is normally produced withless than 1 ppm
free chlorine. By adjusting the absorption water (weak acid) supply rate,
the desired HCl concentration can be obtained. The product acid flows by
gravity into a tank at atmospheric pressure.
The considerable heat generated in the synthesis process must be removed,
normally by cooling water.The combustion heat is 0.7 kWh per kg of
HCl(100 %) and the heat of absorption in water is 0.5 kWh per kg of HCl
(100 %).Nearly one half of the generated heat can be recovered as steam.

8
 6- Recycle stream:
The unabsorbed gas is fed into a counter-current scrubbing
section where absorption water absorbs the remaining HCl.

Fig:2 Recycle stream process

Industrial market
Hydrochloric acid is produced in solutions up to 38% HCl (concentrated
grade). Higher concentrations up to just over 40% are chemically
possible, but the evaporation rate is then so high that storage and
handling require extra precautions, such as pressurization and cooling.
Bulk industrial-grade is therefore 30% to 35%, optimized to balance
transport efficiency and product loss through evaporation. In the United
States, solutions of between 20% and 32% are sold as muriatic acid.
Solutions for household purposes in the US, mostly cleaning, are
typically 10% to 12%, with strong recommendations to dilute before use.
In the United Kingdom, where it is sold as "Spirits of Salt" for domestic
cleaning, the potency is the same as the US industrial grade.[14] In other
countries, such as Italy, hydrochloric acid for domestic or industrial
cleaning is sold as "Acido Muriatico", and its concentration ranges from
5% to 32%.Major producers worldwide include Dow Chemical at 2
million metric tons annually (2 Mt/year), calculated as HCl gas, Georgia
Gulf Corporation, Tosoh Corporation, Akzo Nobel, and Tessenderlo at
0.5 to 1.5 Mt/year each. Total world production, for comparison purposes
expressed as HCl, is estimated at 20 Mt/year, with 3 Mt/year from direct
synthesis, and the rest as secondary product from organic and similar
syntheses. By far, most hydrochloric acid is consumed captively by the
producer. The open world market size is estimated at 5 Mt/year.

9
Properties:
1- Physical properties:
Physical properties of hydrochloric acid, such
as boiling and melting points, density, and pH, depend on
the concentration or molarity of HCl in the aqueous solution.
They range from those of water at very low concentrations
approaching 0% HCl to values for fuming hydrochloric acid at
over 40% HCl.
Hydrochloric acid as the binary (two-component) mixture of HCl
and H2O has a constant-boiling azeotrope at 20.2% HCl and
108.6 °C (227 °F). There are four constant-
crystallization eutectic points for hydrochloric acid, between
the crystal form of HCl·H2O (68% HCl), HCl·2H2O (51% HCl),
HCl·3H2O (41% HCl), HCl·6H2O (25% HCl), and ice (0% HCl).
There is also a metastable eutectic point at 24.8% between ice
and the HCl·3H2O crystallization

Fig:3 Melting temperature as a function of HCl concentration in water

Specifi Vapour Boilin Meltin

Densi Molari Viscosi
Concentration pH c pressu g g
ty ty ty
heat re point point

kg HCl/k kg HCl/ Baum kJ/(kg·

3 kg/L mol/L mPa·s kPa °C °C
g m é K)
−0.
10% 104.80 6.6 1.048 2.87 1.16 3.47 1.95 103 −18
5
−0.
20% 219.60 13 1.098 6.02 1.37 2.99 1.40 108 −59
8
−1.
30% 344.70 19 1.149 9.45 1.70 2.60 2.13 90 −52
0
−1.
32% 370.88 20 1.159 10.17 1.80 2.55 3.73 84 −43
0
−1.
34% 397.46 21 1.169 10.90 1.90 2.50 7.24 71 −36
0
−1.
36% 424.44 22 1.179 11.64 1.99 2.46 14.5 61 −30
1
−1.
38% 451.82 23 1.189 12.39 2.10 2.43 28.3 48 −26
1
Table: 1 The reference temperature and pressure for the above table are 20 °C and 1 atmosphere (101.325 kPa).
Vapor pressure values are taken from the International Critical Tables and refer to the total vapor pressure of the
solution.

11
2-chemical properties:

1-Hydrochloric acid, HCl (aq) is a strong acid, meaning that

when it is dissolved in water, all the molecules ionize to
form hydrogen ions, H+(aq), and chloride ions, Cl - (aq).

2-The reason that the hydrogen and chlorine ions

dissociate when in an aqueous solution is that HCl is polar
covalent compound (see "Structure and Properties" for
explanation on polarity).

3-Stability: HCl is stable

4-Conditions of Instability: Incompatible materials, water

5-Incompatibility with various substances: highly reactive

with metals. Reactive with oxidizing agents, organic
materials, alkalis, water.

6-Corrosivity: extremely corrosive in the presence of

aluminum, of copper, or stainless steel. Non-corrosive in
presence of glass. Incompatible with copper and copper
alloys. It attacks nearly all metals (mercury, gold,
platinium, tantalum, silver, and certain alloys are
exceptions). It is one of the most corrosive of the
nonoxidizing acids in contact with copper alloys. Severe
Corrosive effect on brass and bronze.

7- Non-flammable gas

11
Storage:

Containers for Hydrochloric Acid

1. Types of Containers
The shipping containers used for hydrochloric acid are those rail
tanks be tightly sealed, such as acid-resistant bottles (including
polyethylene containers, etc.), and steel drums tank trucks, tank
cars, and tankers with corrosion resistant linings,.
2. Displays on the Containers
・ The “Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Law”
requires the following to be displayed on the containers:
Container (outside) : “Non Medical Use” and “Deleterious
Substance”(red characters on a white background)Name, grade,
net weight of the contents Name and address of the manufacturer
or importer
“Poison” (white characters on a black
Tank truck: background)
(On the front and back of the truck)
・ On both sides of rail tanks, “Exclusive Use for Hydrochloric acid”
is displayed
・ Care must also be taken to the display requirements of other
related laws an
regulations

Transportation
- Hydrochloric acid should never be transported in other than a
plastic coated glass container, accurately labeled, and properly
stored within the vehicle to prevent shifting, spillage, or
breakage. Containers of hydrochloric acid carried in vehicles in
warm climates should be placed in coolers to protect them from
excessive heat. Although hydrochloric acid has a boiling point
of 110 degrees C (230 degrees F).

it should be transported at room temperature to minimize a

buildup of gas pressure in the container.

12
 Chapter 2
Uses of Hydrochloric acid

13
1- Pickling Steel
is a metal surface treatment used to remove impurities, such as stains,
inorganic contaminants, rust or scale from ferrous metals, copper, precious
metals and aluminum alloys. A solution called pickle liquor, which usually
contains acid, is used to remove the surface impurities. It is commonly used to
descale or clean steel in various steel making processes.

Metal surfaces can contain impurities that may affect usage of the product or
further processing like plating with metal or painting. Various chemical
solutions are usually used to clean these impurities. Strong acids, such
as hydrochloric acid are common used for cleaning metal surfaces. Solutions
usually also contain additives such as wetting agents and corrosion inhibitors.
Pickling is sometimes called acid cleaning if descaling is not needed.
Many hot working processes and other processes that occur at high
temperatures leave a discoloring oxide layer or scale on the surface. In order
to remove the scale the work piece is dipped into a vat of pickle liquor. Prior to
cold rolling operation, hot rolled steel is normally passed through a pickling
line so as to eradicate the scale from the surface.
The primary acid used in steel making is hydrochloric acid was previously
more common. it pickles much faster while minimizing base metal loss. The
speed is a requirement for integration in automatic steel mills that run
production at high speed; speeds as high as 800 ft/min (≈243 metres/min)
have been reported.
Carbon steels, with an alloy content less than or equal to 6%, are often
pickled in hydrochloric. Steels with an alloy content greater than 6% must be
pickled in two steps and other acids are used, such
as phosphoric, nitric and hydrofluoric acid. Rust- and acid-resistant chromium-
nickel steels are pickled in a bath of hydrochloric and nitric acid.
Most copper alloys are pickled in dilute sulfuric acid, but brass is pickled in
concentrated sulfuric and nitric acid mixed with sodium chloride and soot.
In jewelry making, pickling is used to remove the copper oxide layer that
results from heating copper and sterling silver during soldering and annealing.
A diluted sulfuric acid pickling bath is traditionally used but may be replaced
with citric acid.
Sheet steel that undergoes acid pickling will oxidize (rust) when exposed to
atmospheric conditions of moderately high humidity. For this reason, a thin
film of oil or similar waterproof coating is applied to create a barrier to
moisture in the air. This oil film must later be removed for many fabrication,
plating or painting processes.

14
2-Ore Processing
Hydrochloric acid is consumed in many mining operations for ore
treatment, extraction, separation, purification and water treatment. Significant
quantities are used in the recovery of molybdenum and gold. Hydrochloric acid
is used to convert high-grade scheelite concentrate (CaWO4) and crude sodium
tungstate to tungstic acid, which in turn, can be used to produce tungsten metal
and chemicals. Hydrochloric acid is also used in uranium and zirconium
processing, solution mining of borate ores, as a pH regulator in the froth
flotation of potash ores, and in rare earth extraction from bastnasite.

1-Rutile
1.1 Material/Analysis

The rutile sample was obtained from an ore deposit at Oke-Ode. The ore was crushed, ground
and sieved with ASTM Standard sieves into three size fraction: 0.045-0.075, 0.075-0.106 and
0.106-0.212mm. All experiments were performed with particle size: 0.045-0.075mm, unless
otherwise stated.
The elemental analysis of the ore was carried out by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass
Spectrometry (ICP-MS), peristaltic pump and Babington nebulizer under the following
conditions: plasma, auxilliarry and carrier gas flow rates of 15, 1.2 and 1.04L/min,
respectively. The mineralogical purity of the ore was examined using PHILIPS PW 1800 X-
ray diffractometer (XRD) with CuK (1.54Å) radiation, generated at 40kV and 55mA. The
cabinet houses a high speed, high precision Goniometer, high efficiency generator (X-ray)
and an automatic sample loading capacity. Doubly distilled water and BDH grade HCl acid
were used to prepare all solutions.

1.1.2 Ore phase studies by XRD

Figure 1 shows the identified phases and their respective lattice plane with JCPDS file
number in the rutile ore by X-ray diffraction.

Fig.4.. X-ray spectra of rutile ore with the most probable compounds identified. Joint
committee on powder diffraction standard. are put in brackets: (1,2): TiO2 [1 2 0] (29-
1360); (3):Fe2O3 [0 2 2] (16-0653); (4): SiO2 [1 0 1] (46-1045); (5): Fe3Ti3O10 [1 1
3] (47-0421); (6):Ti3O5 [2 0 6] (23-0606)
The X-ray spectrum data in Fig.1 apparently complement the results of chemical
analysis byICP-MS. It shows that titanium is present mainly as TiO2. With the result of
ICP-MS, the TiO2 content can be estimated to be in the range of 68.3%. In addition,
other phases identified include - quartz (-SiO2) and Fe2O3, while Fe3Ti3O10 and
Ti3O5 can be said to be present in traces.

15
1.2 Leaching Studies

1.2.2 Effect of HCl concentration

The effect of HCl concentration (0.5-8.06M) on the dissolution of 1.0g/L ore
was investigated at 550C using 0.045-0.075mm size fraction of the ore. The
fraction of the ore dissolved as a function of leaching time for the different HCl
concentrations.

Table 2. Elemental analysis of the rutile ore by ICP-MS (expressed in percentage).

Elemen
Fe Ti Zn Cu S Cd Nb Cr W Ag Ca Si Pb Sb
t
1.3 40.9 0.7 0.4 0.7 0.9 0.01 0.03 0.00 0.01 2.4 18.4 0.0 0.00
Conc.
4 4 9 7 8 3 8 2 5 4 1 6 6 3
O (oxygen) = 31.92 %, obtained by difference.

From Table 1, it is evident that the major elements detected by ICP-MS are Ti (40.94
percent), Si(18.46%), Ca (2.41%) and Fe (2.34%), while Zn, Cu, S, Cd, Nb Cr and Ag
are minor elements in the ore. Other metals detected in the ore at trace levels were W,
Sb, Th, V, Te and Mn. This rutile, sourced from the North-central part of Nigeria with
Ti content of about 41% is comparable to 49% Titanium.

2-Phosphorus
(H3PO4, PA) is an industrial acid, produced from two main
types of phosphate rock: sedimentary and igneous. In the classical wet
process, wet process PA is produced by a reaction between the ore and
sulphuric acid, forming 30% solids thick slurry, in three stages:
acidulation, filtration and concentration to produce a 50%P2O5 acid. In a
novel process, the phosphate ore is treated with HCl with the formation of
PA and CaCl2; the PA is separated by a solvent extraction technology,
obtaining a highly concentrated, food grade PA and recovering the
organic solvent. The PA industry has a high level of corrosion risk;
therefore, special corrosion resistant materials (metallic and plastic) are
applied according to the chemical, mechanical and thermal conditions of
the process. Cases of PA production of different qualities and
concentrations

16
3-Oil well acidizing:
Hydrochloric acid is used both to remove rust, scale
and undesirable carbonate deposits in oil wells to
encourage the flow of crude oil or gas to the well. This
use is called "stimulation." Acidizing is generally done
in carbonate or limestone formations by stimulation.
An acid solution is injected into the formation,
which dissolves a portion of the rock and creates a
large pore structure in the formation, increasing its
effective permeability and the flow of oil.

Acidizing Basics
Acidizing involves pumping acid into a wellbore or
geologic formation that is capable of producing oil
and/or gas. The purpose of any acidizing is to improve
a well’s productivity or injectivity. There are three
general categories of acid treatments: acid washing;
matrix acidizing; fracture acidizing.

In acid washing, the objective is simply tubular and

wellbore cleaning. Treatment of the formation is not
intended. Acid washing is most commonly performed
with hydrochloric acid (HCl) mixtures to clean out scale Fig :5 Oil well

(such as calcium carbonate), rust, and other debris restricting flow in the well.
Matrix and fracture acidizing are both formation treatments.

In matrix acidizing, the acid treatment is injected below the formation fracturing
pressure. In fracture acidizing, acid is pumped above the formation fracturing
pressure.

The purpose of matrix or fracture acidizing is to restore or improve an oil or

gas well’s productivity by dissolving material in the productive formation
that is restricting flow, or to dissolve formation rock itself to enhance
existing, or to create new flow paths to the wellbore. Two key factors
dominate the treatment selection and design process when planning an acid
job; formation type – carbonate, sandstone, or shale, and formation
permeability – the ability of fluid to flow through the formation in its natural
state.

Formation type determines the type(s) of acid necessary and formation

permeability determines the pressure required for pumping the acid into the
formation.
17
4- Food
The food industry uses hydrochloric acid in the
processing of a variety of products. A major use of hydrochloric acid
by the food industry is for the production of corn syrups such as
high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

Much of the hydrochloric acid consumed in the HFCS industry is

used to regenerate the ion exchange resins that are employed to
remove impurities. Hydrochloric acid can also be used to acid-
modify cornstarch and to adjust the pH of intermediates, final
product and wastewater. The largest use of HFCS is in the
production of soft drinks, which accounts for 70-75% of demand.

Hydrochloric acid is also used in other food processing applications

including the production of hydrolyzed vegetable protein and soy
sauce. It is used in acidulating crushed bones for the manufacture of
gelatin and as an acidifier for products such as sauces, vegetable
juices and canned goods.

Hydrochloric acid is consumed in the production of artificial

sweeteners. It is consumed in the production of lysine, choline
chloride (both used primarily as animal feed additives) and citric
acid.

5- Cleaning pools
Although, pools can be cleaned with normal detergents and scrubs, it
is not easy to remove some stains, which are adhered in between the tiles. In
that case, muriatic acid/hydrochloric acid comes handy. Here also, one should
add 10 parts of water to 1 part of acid to make a solution for cleaning the pool.

6- Regeneration of ion exchangers

High-quality hydrochloric acid is used in the regeneration
of ion exchange resins. Cation exchange is widely used to
remove ions such as Na+ and Ca2+ from aqueous solutions,
producing demineralized water. The acid is used to rinse the
cations from the resins. Na+ is replaced with H+ and Ca2+ with
2 H+.
Ion exchangers and demineralized water are used in all chemical
industries, drinking water production, and many food industries.

18
 7- Production of Calcium Chloride

Neutralizing hydrochloric acid with limestone (CaCO3)

produces calcium chloride. The largest use for calcium
chloride is highway deicing with production dependent
on weather conditions. Other uses include dust
control, industrial processing, oil recovery, concrete
treatment and tire ballasting. Calcium chloride is also
used in oil recovery products such as drilling muds and
work over/completion fluids.

1) Raw materials
A) Limestone (calcium carbonate) (solid lumps) CaCO3 source
from mining of limestone.

b) Hydrochloric acid (30%) solution in water (liquid state) HCl By

product of chlorination plants by product of chloro alkali plants

C) Calcium hydroxide (solid powder) Ca (OH)2

From manufacturer

2) Reaction
CaCO3+ 2HCl -------→→ CaCl2+ H2O +CO2
CO2+ Ca (OH)2-----→ CaCO3+ H2O
Ca(OH)2+ 2 HCL -----→ CaCl2+ 2 H2O

3) Process description:
a) Hydrochloric acid is charged into a acid proof brick lined tank

b)Lime stone/ calcium hydroxide is then charged slowly into the tank
over a period of 5 to6 hrs.

c)the whole tank content is kept for reaction for 15 to 20 hrs till all
the acid is consumed)the Ph of the reaction mass is adjusted to 7.5 to 8.0
using calcium hydroxide

e)the reacted mass is then transferred to the settling tanks)the settled

reaction solution is then siphoned into another collection tank
19
8-pH Control and neutralization
A very common application of hydrochloric acid is to regulate the
basicity (pH) of solutions.
OH− + HCl → H2O + Cl−
In industry demanding purity (food, pharmaceutical, drinking water),
high-quality hydrochloric acid is used to control the pH of process
water streams. In less-demanding industry, technical-quality
hydrochloric acid suffices for neutralizing waste streams

Fig 6 pH Control and neutralization

9- Digesting foods
Hydrochloric acid is also present in the gastric juices in the
stomach of human body which helps in digesting the foods. It
acidifies the stomach contents.

10-For the purification of Table Salt

Hydrochloric acid/muriatic acid is used to purify the table salt.

Fig 7 table salt

21
11-Production of inorganic compounds
Numerous products can be produced with hydrochloric acid in
normal acid-base reactions, resulting in inorganic compounds.
These include water treatment chemicals such as iron(III) chloride
and polyaluminium chloride (PAC).

Fe2O3 + 6 HCl → 2 FeCl3 + 3 H2O

Both iron (III) chloride and PAC are used as flocculation and
coagulation agents in wastewater treatment, drinking water
production, and paper production.

Calcium chloride this is used in road application salt because it is

is able to melt through the ice must faster and more efficiently than
common salt.

Nickel (II) chloride this is used in electroplating to transfer a layer

of decorative or wear-resistant nickel into ametal object.

zinc chloride for the galvanizing industry this inorganic compound

is used to coat or steel object with a protective layer of zinc.

12-Production of organic compounds

The largest hydrochloric acid consumption is in the production of
organic compounds such as
vinyl chloride for PVC: this one of the most widely produced
synthetic plastic polymers

MDI and TDI : HCl is used to manufacture toluene

diisocyanate (TDl)and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDl)
which are commonly used in polyutherane.

Bisphenol: A for polycarbonate, activated carbon, and

ascorbic acid, as well as numerous pharmaceutical products.

21
13- Around the House
Hydrochloric acid is a common ingredient for tile and
porcelain cleaners. It's great for cleaning tiles in kitchens
and bathrooms. It's also useful for scrubbing toilets
because the harsh acid gets rid of tough stains and
disinfects thoroughly. Buildup dissolves very quickly
when it comes in contact with the acid, which makes for
easier – and even quicker – cleanups.
All kinds of metal around a home can rust, especially if
exposed to water. Hydrochloric acid can cut through both
rust and metal. To avoid dissolving or damaging the metal
that you're trying to clean, dilute the acid and then pour a
little bit over it. This is ideal for metal fixtures in
bathrooms and kitchens that may start showing signs of
rust after a few years of being used.

22
 Chapter 3
Safety and First Aid

23
Hazards
Hydrochloric Acid is a highly corrosive and
hazardous chemical and should be handled with
Personnel should be properly trained .extreme care
in the handling of hydrochloric acid and should
always wear the proper protective equipment when
working around hydrochloric acid. All users should
read the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) before
handling hydrochloric acid.
Hydrochloric acid is very corrosive to the skin and
mucous membranes and can cause severe burns to
any part of the body. The corneas of the eyes are
especially sensitive to hydrochloric acid and
exposure to it or its vapors immediately causes
severe irritation.
If the eyes are not quickly and thoroughly irrigated
with water, partial or total visual impairment or
blindness can occur.
It is recommended that employees be provided with
and required to use acid impervious clothing,
gloves, boots, splash proof goggles and other
appropriate protective clothing necessary to prevent
any possibility of skin contact with hydrogen
chloride mists or solutions. Material types which
may be considered for this service include nitrile,
neoprene, polyvinyl chloride(PVC), butyl rubber,
Responder®, Trellchem®, and Tychem®. Face
shields should also be provided when there Fig: 9 PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
a chance of splashing liquid hydrochloric acid
Face shields can augment protection provided by splash-proof goggles
and safety glasses, but are not intended to replace these safety
appliances Hydrochloric acid has excellent warning properties.
Concentrations of 0.3 parts per million (ppm) can be
detected by smell, and concentrations above five parts
per million will cause discomfort.
OSHA has established a ceiling value of five parts per
million (5 ppm) for hydrochloric acid. This means that
an employee's exposure to hydrogen chloride should at
no time exceed five parts per million. Effective in 2003,
the ACGIH TLV® for hydrogen chloride is a ceiling
value of 2 ppm.

24
Respiratory Protection
OSHA requires that employees using respirators
should be properly fitted and trained in their use.
Basically there are 3 types of respirators:
1. Escape
In areas where the unexpected release of hydrogen
chloride vapors may lead to potentially dangerous
exposure, appropriate escape respirators should be
carried by or be readily accessible to each employee.
The most common respirator used for this purpose is
the mouthpiece respirator. This respirator contains a
single cartridge with a mouthpiece and nose clip.
Employees should only use this respirator when
escape times are short and airborne concentrations of

MOUTHPIECE RESPIRATOR (Escape Only)

hydrogen chloride vapors are low

Fig:10 MOUTHPIECE RESPIRATOR

2. Air Purifying Respirators

Air purifying respirators contain cartridges or canisters of absorbent or
reactive material to remove harmful gases from breathing air. These
respirators are available as either half face or full-face units. For hydrochloric
acid service, use a cartridge or canister designed for hydrogen chloride
service. Where vapor concentration exceeds or is likely to exceed 5 ppm, a
cartridge or canister respirator should be used. When working in
environments where airborne concentrations are irritating to the eyes, fullface
piece respirators should be used. Cartridge or canister respirators are strictly
air-purifying devices and must never be used in an oxygen deficient
atmosphere (less than 19.5% oxygen by volume), in environments
immediately dangerous to life or health(IDLH), or areas containing unknown
concentrations of hydrochloric acid. It is important to remember that cartridges
and canisters have a limited service life. Conditions such as humidity,
chemical concentrations in the workplace, other chemicals in the workplace,
and frequency of use will affect cartridge and canister service life. Therefore,
an evaluation of workplace conditions should be madeto determine the
appropriate cartridge/canister replacement schedule.

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FULL FACE AIR PURIFYING RESPIRATOR

Fig:10 FULL FACE AIR PURIFYING RESPIRATO

3. Self-contained Breathing Apparatus

Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) can provide respiratory
protection in an oxygen-deficient environment and in situations where
unknown concentrations of hydrogen chloride vapors are present. The
SCBA can also provide protection in emergency situations.
The SCBA is an atmosphere-supplying respirator for which the
breathing air source is designed to be carried by the user (OSHA
definition). A full-face mask is always used with this type apparatus.
OSHA requires that when wearing the SCBA in an Immediately
Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) atmosphere (i.e.oxygen deficient
or unknown concentrations of hydrogen chloride, as could be expected
in an emergency situation), the SCBA be operated in the pressure
demand mode and be certified by NIOSH for a minimum service life of
thirty minutes. Escape SCBA devices are commonly used with full face
pieces or hoods and, depending on the supply of air, are usually rated
as 3 to 60 minute units.

26
SELF-CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS

Fig 11 SELF-CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS

OSHA requires that all respirators must be NIOSH approved and shall
use breathing gas containers marked in accordance with the NIOSH
respirator certification standard, 42 CFR part 84. For further information
on regulations pertaining to respirator equipment, see 29 CFR 1910.134
and 30 CFR § 57.5005 For additional information see DHHS (NIOSH)
Publication No. 2005-100, NIOSH RespiratorSelection Logic 2004 or
Publication No. 87-116, NIOSH Guide to Industrial Respiratory
Protection.

Safety Precautions
Water should always be easily accessible whenever hydrochloric acid is
stored or used. Safety showers and eye wash fountains should be located in
the immediate work area and clearly marked. These units should be tested on
a regular basis. Portable or temporary systems are available. Every
precaution should be taken to ensure that a suitable system is in place and
operational before handling hydrochloric acid. Only trained and properly
protected personnel should be allowed to enter areas where hydrochloric
acid is present. ANSI Standard 2358.1 contains placement and performance
criteria for emergency eyewash and shower equipment. Before entering tanks
or opening pipelines that have contained hydrochloric acid, they should be
drained or pumped out and thoroughly flushed with water. Contact with the
liquid draining from the equipment should be avoided. Do not enter a confined
space (which includes tanks or pits) without following proper entry procedures
such as 29 CFR 1910.146. Good housekeeping practices are important where
hydrochloric acid is used. All spills should be contained and immediately
recovered or flushed with water into a chemical sewer or a segregated holding
basin which is provided for the specific purpose of neutralization. Hydrochloric
acid must never be flushed to a sanitary sewer or other outlet which
connects to waterways or uncontrolled runoff streams.

27
First Aid
Eye Contact - The eyes should be immediately flushed with large amounts
of water continuously for at least 15 minutes. Get immediate medical
attention. It is necessary to hold the eyelids apart while flushing to ensure
complete irrigation of the eye. Washing eyes within several seconds is
essential to achieve maximum effectiveness. A delay of a few moments or
incomplete washing can result in partial or permanent blindness. Never
attempt to neutralize hydrochloric acid in the eyes with chemicals. Do not
apply oils or
ointments unless specifically prescribed by a physician.
Skin Contact - Flush the area of contact with large amounts of water.
Contaminated clothing should be removed while underneath a safety shower.
Get immediate medical attention. Do not attempt to neutralize the acid with
alkaline solutions. No oils or ointments should be applied unless specified by
aphysician.
Inhalation – Remove individual to fresh air and get immediate medical
attention. In cases of severe exposure, humidified oxygen should be
administered by someone medically trained to administer oxygen. If
respiration or pulse has stopped, have a trained person administer Basic Life
Support (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation and/or Automatic External
Defibrillator)and CALL FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES IMMEDIATELY.
Ingestion - Get immediate medical attention. If individual is a fully
conscious, give large amount of water. Do not use sodium bicarbonate in an
attempt to neutralize the acid. Do not induce vomiting.

Traumatic Shock - Whenever injured persons are being cared for, the
person administering first aid should watch for signs of traumatic shock.
Traumatic shock may follow serious injury and is a depressed condition of
many body functions due to inadequate blood circulation throughout most of
the body. Signs of shock are pale, moist, cool skin; shallow and irregular
breathing; and weak pulse.
Beads of perspiration may be noted about the lips,
forehead, palms, and armpits. The patient may
become nauseated.
To treat shock, keep the patient lying down and as
warm and comfortable as possible. Raise the patient's
feet eight to twelve inches unless there is head injury,
breathing difficulty, or if the patient complains of added
pain.

28
 References
1-Hydrochloric Acid". Archived from the original on 15 October 2010. "
.Retrieved 16 September 2010

.2-spirits of salt". Retrieved 29 May 2012"

.3-"Hydrochloric acid_msds"
4-Trummal, Aleksander; Lipping, Lauri; Kaljurand, Ivari; Koppel, Ilmar
A.; Leito, Ivo (2016-05-06). "Acidity of Strong Acids in Water and
Dimethyl Sulfoxide". The Journal of Physical Chemistry A. 120 (20):
3663–3669. doi:10.1021/acs.jpca.6b02253. ISSN 1089-5639. PMID
.27115918

.5-Sigma-Aldrich Co., Hydrochloric acid. Retrieved on 2017-11-29

6-Human Metabolome Database: Showing metabocard for "

Hydrochloric acid (HMDB0002306)". www.hmdb.ca. Retrieved 2017-11

7-Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Volume 15.05,American Society for

Testing and Materials, 2002

8-2004 North American Emergency Response Guidebook

9-Food Chemicals Codex, 5th Edition, National Academy of
Sciences, 1996
10-EPA Fact Sheet, The Emergency Planning andCommunity Right-to-Know
Act (EPA 550-F-00-004)
11-49 CFR, Code of Federal Regulation Title 49 –Transportation,
Hazardous Materials Regulations, U.S.Government Printing Office
12-2007 TLVs® and BEIs®, Threshold Limit Values for Chemical
Substances and Physical Agents, ACGIH®,2007
13-NIOSH Respirator Decision Logic, DHHS (NIOSH)Publication No.
87-108, May, 1987
13-Hydrochloric acid is subject to the reporting requirements
established by Section 313 of EPA’s Emergency Planning and
Community Right-to-know Act (EPCRA). These reports are often called
Form R reports. The forms of hydrochloric acid that are reportable are
acid aerosols including mists,vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms
.of any particle size. See 40 CFR 372.

29