Research subject: Chlorine and its derivatives, due to their unique properties, are used in the production of a wide range of materials in chemical, polymer, agricultural, pharmaceutical, and health industries. In fact, more than half of the marketed products worldwide are directly or indirectly related to the chlorine industry. Given the significance of these chemicals, this study aims to analyze the status of the chlorine chain in Iran’s petrochemical industry and identify its strengths, weaknesses, and investment opportunities.
Research approach: To assess the status of domestic chlorine production, the nominal and actual production capacities of petrochemical companies were collected and analyzed based on official data from the National Petrochemical Company. Using the collected statistics and data, the decrease in the operational rates of petrochemical companies was analyzed. Additionally, the share of end-use applications in the total chlorine consumption in Iran was determined and analyzed using block mass balance of the process units. To identify investment opportunities in the chlorine chain, trade data for chlorine compounds were collected and analyzed based on customs documentation, in order to identify and introduce chemicals with significant import volume or value compared to other substances.
Main results: The results showed that the majority of chlorine in Iran is used for the production of ethylene dichloride/polyvinyl chloride, with this application accounting for over 91% of chlorine consumption in the petrochemical industry. On the other hand, the high cost of replacing mercury-based chlor-alkali units with more environmentally friendly membrane technology and the inability to secure feedstock were identified as the main reasons for the decline in operational capacity for chlorine and polyvinyl chloride production in the country. Using trade statistics, methylene chloride, powder choline chloride, suspension and emulsion polyvinyl chloride, neoprene, and epichlorohydrin were identified as chemicals with high import volume and value, making the evaluation of their production projects important.