Caustic soda: Relationships
Every element and industry that Caustic soda is linked to, and how. Each pair has its own card explaining the relationships between the two.
- Chlorine: Chlorine and caustic soda come out of the same brine electrolysis in a fixed ratio of about 1.1 t of caustic per tonne of chlorine, so neither can be made alone. Plants run for whichever product is in demand and the other's price absorbs the imbalance; electricity is the largest cost of both. (researched)
- Salt: Caustic soda is made by passing electricity through salt brine, so each tonne needs roughly one and a half tonnes of salt, but salt is cheap and power is not. The link that matters is physical and geographic: salt quality for membrane cells and access to coastal salt, which is why India's chlor-alkali industry clusters in Gujarat. (researched)
- Paper and packaging: Caustic soda is one of the two active chemicals in kraft pulping liquor; mills recover most of it but must buy make-up, about 35 kg per tonne of market pulp, so virgin-fibre pulp is a steady caustic buyer whose supply depends on chlorine and PVC demand. In India, where three quarters of paper is made from recycled fibre, paper takes only about 6% of caustic demand. (researched)
- Aluminium: Their prices have moved together.
- Energy-intensive industry: Their prices have moved together.
- Fatty acids: Their prices have moved together.
- Food and beverage processing: Food and beverage processing depends on caustic soda.
- Household and personal care: Household and personal care depends on caustic soda.
- Hydrogen peroxide: Their prices have moved together.
- Metal products: Metal products depends on caustic soda.
- Metal-air batteries: Their prices have moved together.
- Nickel-based batteries: Their prices have moved together.
- Other and primary batteries: Their prices have moved together.
- PVC: Their prices have moved together.
- Plastic and rubber products: Plastic and rubber products depends on caustic soda.
- Textiles and leather: Textiles and leather depends on caustic soda.
- Waste and recycling: Waste and recycling depends on caustic soda.
- Water and sanitation: Water and sanitation depends on caustic soda.