# Water treatment chemicals: Feedstocks

How bauxite, scrap iron and acid become clean water

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/water_treatment/feedstocks/

What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.

Feedstocks are simple and mostly local: aluminium hydroxide or bauxite, iron, hydrochloric and sulphuric acid for coagulants; acrylonitrile (from propylene and ammonia) for polyacrylamide; chlorine and caustic soda for disinfection; phosphorus chemicals for inhibitors. Because liquid coagulants are mostly water, freight decides who wins locally. For polymers, access to cheap acrylonitrile decides cost.

#### Inputs per tonne

| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Al Aluminium](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/aluminum/) | about 0.15-0.3 t Al(OH)3 per t liquid PAC (indicative, stoichiometric) | aluminium source for alum and PAC | not published | indicative |
| [Fe Iron ore](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/iron_ore/) | about 0.14 t Fe per t 40% ferric chloride solution (stoichiometric) | iron source for ferric coagulants | not published | stoichiometric |
| [NaCl Salt](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/salt/) | not applicable directly | chlor-alkali products for PAC, ferric chloride, hypochlorite and pH control | not published | chlorine tile |
| **Acrylonitrile** | about 0.75 t per t acrylamide (stoichiometric) | monomer for polyacrylamide | the main raw material for polymers (indicative) | acrylonitrile tile |
| [S Sulfur](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sulfur/) | about 0.4-0.5 t per t solid alum (indicative) | acid for alum and ferric sulphate | not published | sulphuric acid tile (indicative) |
| [P Phosphate rock](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/phosphate/) | not published | phosphonate scale inhibitors | not published | indicative |

#### Who is low-cost, and why

Coagulant cost is local: producers with waste acid or by-product iron chloride (from TiO2 or steel pickling) and short delivery distances win. For polyacrylamide, Chinese and integrated producers with cheap acrylonitrile set the floor; acrylonitrile fell to about $1.04/kg CFR South Asia in Feb 2026 on Chinese overcapacity (acrylonitrile tile).

#### Raw materials on the commodity table
[Al Aluminium](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/aluminum/)[NaCl Salt](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/salt/)[Fe Iron ore](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/iron_ore/)[H₂O Water](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/water/)

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/water_treatment/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/water_treatment/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/water_treatment/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/water_treatment/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/water_treatment/production/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/water_treatment/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/water_treatment/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/water_treatment/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/water_treatment/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/water_treatment/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/water_treatment/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/water_treatment/links/index.md)