Soda Ash Improvements At Brunner Mond

Brunner Mond Group entered 2003 with a new organisation in place at its Delfzijl (Netherlands) plant - part of its ongoing programme of improvements in preparation for losing a source of raw materials in 2004. Akzo Nobel NV expects to close its chlorine plant in Delfzijl in January/04, which supplies caustic soda to part of Brunner Mond's facility. A significant minority of the Brunner Mond plant produces soda ash by "caustic carbonisation", or the carbonation of the caustic soda liquor supplied by Akzo Nobel. Most of Brunner Mond's 400,000 tpa plus capacity plant produces soda ash using the Solvay Ammonia-Soda process. The company is bringing in a series of improvements to this side of production that will allow it to increase output.