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Difficulty: MediumChemical Industries, Raw Materials, and Siting Factors

A major chlor-alkali chemical plant is sited near a coastal marine environment to optimize production efficiency. Which primary raw material is extracted at this location for the industrial electrolysis that yields sodium hydroxide, chlorine gas, and hydrogen gas?

  1. Sodium chloride (concentrated brine or sea salt)Answer
  2. B
    Calcium carbonate (limestone)
  3. C
    Bauxite (hydrated aluminium oxide)
  4. D
    Calcium tetraoxosulfate(VI) (gypsum)

Answer

Sodium chloride (concentrated brine or sea salt) is the primary raw material for the chlor-alkali industry.
The chlor-alkali industry relies on the electrolysis of concentrated sodium chloride solution (brine), which yields sodium hydroxide at the cathode/solution along with chlorine gas at the anode and hydrogen gas at the cathode. Siting these factories near marine coastal zones or salt deposits ensures a direct and abundant supply of the primary raw material, sodium chloride.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the chemical industry process specified in the prompt.
The process described is the chlor-alkali industry, which produces sodium hydroxide (NaOHNaOH), chlorine (Cl2Cl_2), and hydrogen (H2H_2).
Recognizing the end-products pinpoints the required industrial process.
2
Determine the necessary ionic starting material containing sodium and chloride ions.
Electrolysis of aqueous sodium chloride (NaClNaCl), commonly sourced from sea salt or brine deposits near coastal areas, provides Na+Na^+ and Cl−Cl^- ions.
Chemical industries are frequently sited near their primary raw material sources to minimize raw material transport costs.

Key Concept

Chlor-alkali process raw materials and industrial siting factors
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Topics

Chemical Industries, Raw Materials, and Siting Factors

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