Energy Efficiency Potentials in the Chlor-Alkali Sector - A Case Study of Shandong Province in China.

In this paper, we assess 13 process technologies to improve energy efficiency in the Chlor-Alkali sector of Shandong province in China up to 2025 using a technoeconomic approach. The results show energy efficiency improvement (EEI) potentials of 9% in the caustic soda and 38% in the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production process compared to a frozen-efficiency development. The most influential technologies are energy-efficient electrolysis technology in brine electrolysis step and heat recovery technology in Vinyl Chloride Monomer synthesis (VCM) step. The energy savings can be translated into mitigated CO2 emissions of 10 Mt in 2025. The larger part of this potential is found to be cost-effective from a firm's perspective. In conclusion, significant saving potentials are still available. However, to achieve the all potentials, additional energy policies are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]