Faiza Tehseen

Sodium hydroxide or caustic soda is the main feedstock for a variety of industrial products. Its Indigenous production is necessary to fulfil the domestic needs and excess quantities can also be exported to fetch a handsome foreign exchange for Pakistan, opined Dr. Riffat Tahira, Principal Scientific Officer and Program Leader of the National Medicinal, Aromatic, and Herbs Program from the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), while talking to WealthPK.

She said, “Pakistan has an abundance of Sodium Chloride which is used as raw material for production of caustic soda. So, there is no need to import raw material but the most basic need is to increase the number of production units. The existing units can also be upgraded. Different forms of caustic soda are produced through different manufacturing processes. All caustic soda forms are not created equally, with each form having its own set of characteristics and applications. Apart from caustic soda flakes, pearls and prills are also common forms of caustic soda”. Caustic soda is manufactured in two main grades varying in the amount of sodium chloride. One is membrane-grade caustic soda with less than 100 parts per million (ppm), the other is diaphragm grade material with less than 1.1% ppm sodium chloride. In this grade, the level of impurities such as salt and iron is higher than the membrane grade. While in the said two main grades, liquid caustic soda is available as 50% solution.

She said, “The processing unit does not cost much. If the government shows little concern, it will be easy to add more units along with the existing ones. So, ample production for local use would be available in the country. It will not only decrease the import cost of caustic soda flakes and its other forms but also the value-added items will fetch more foreign exchange. On the other hand, a new window of opportunity will also open up in the country.” Discussing with WealthPK, chemist Mumtaz Hussain Mian said, “It is necessary to cut the production cost of a variety of products so that caustic soda flakes and other related products may be produced indigenously. “But for this purpose, the government should upgrade the existing and establish new processing units for caustic soda flakes and other main related items – prills and pearls. All these forms are used for different industrial purposes”. He said different forms were used for different purposes. For example, caustic soda flakes are widely used as a cleaning agent in bleaching agents, soaps, and detergents.

Being less harmful in nature, caustic soda flakes are also used as an additive and preservative in different foods. Caustic soda prills are used in textiles, detergents, and soaps. Prills act as a strong base in manufacturing textiles, chemicals, and pulp industries. Drinking water is also treated by prills. Caustic soda pearls are used for aluminum etching, paint stripping, and chemical analysis. It is also used in the cleaning of a variety of domestic products and general cleaning.  He said, “Other than the export of excess caustic soda flakes and other products, the total import cut will make the local production cost low. So, although it is an ordinary ingredient for industrial products, it is valuable and its indigenous production should be considered by the policymakers.”

Credit: INP-WealthPk