Did you know that Hydrochloric Acid is also known as HCL, muriatic acid, or spirits of salt? It’s utilised in a variety of industrial and commercial settings. For those who work in industries that use this chemical, it’s vital to understand the most common applications, what they accomplish, and what you need to know to handle them safely and responsibly.

Hydrochloric Acid is an odourless, colourless solution with a pungent smell. But behind this almost invisible veneer lies a powerful punch. For instance, Hydrochloric Acid can react with metals to form an explosive gas. Yet, it can also be found in many home cleaning products.

1150 kg IBCs housed in our warehouse, classified Hazard Class 8, are for corrosive materials, defined as substances that can cause significant harm to living tissue and/or corrode steel and aluminium if they leak.

Hydrochloric Acid is classified as a class 8 hazardous product, i.e. it’s a corrosive substance and can cause burns and irritation to the skin. Due to its corrosive properties, extreme care must be taken when handling this product. Make sure to wear appropriate safety equipment when handling hydrochloric acid. Ensure to avoid direct eye contact; if this occurs, seek immediate medical advice. 

We recommend you consult the safety data sheet when using, storing or handling the product.

Hydrochloric Acid in the market and its many uses

This potent acid is found in many industries and has a wide range of uses.

The most significant end uses for Hydrochloric Acid are steel pickling, oil well acidising, food manufacturing, producing calcium chloride, and ore processing.

We also find substantial use of Hydrochloric Acid across many other industries like:

• Mining, 
• water treatment, 
• oil/gas, 
• detergents, 
• leather, building, 
• textile, 
• rubber, 
• photography. 

How its used also varies significantly. For instance, in water treatment, it’s used to control pH levels, or in swimming pools, it can help remove any stubborn algae from the floors and walls of your pool. 

In acidising oil wells, it helps remove carbonate reservoirs, or limestones and dolomites, from the rock. It’s used in laboratories for acid-base titrations and for producing organic and inorganic compounds like PVC.

Hydrochloric acid is manufactured predominantly in industrial chlor-alkali plants around the world. The process involves the electrolysis of sodium chloride (salt) solution . This produces chlorine gas , sodium hydroxide and hydrogen gas. The hydrogen is then used to produce hydrochloric acid and ammonia.

In 2020 the global Hydrochloric Acid market size was US $7.8 billion and was expected to record a revenue CAGR of 1.5% over the forecast period through 2028. 

HCL prices are usually fairly stable and tend to increase yearly as a result of CPI increases, usually as a result of the cost of production (labour /electricity costs etc). However, the imported cost of the product is highly dependent on exchange rate variations, packaging and sea freight costs. Finally the overall economics of supply and demand would also play a role in the change in the price of HCL, which is also dependent on Chlorine and liquid Caustic Soda demand, which are all part of the chlo-alkali process.

How can we help you?

Redox’s Hydrochloric Acid is available in various pack sizes, including 20-litre carboys, 240 kg drums, 1150 kg IBCs and bulk tanker/Isotainers loads. The product comes in a range of strengths ranging from 6% to 33%, with 32% hydrochloric acid being the main commonly used strength.

Contact one of our experts to discover how Redox can be essential to your sourcing strategy.

The Water Industry Operators Association of Australia (WIOA) is the peak national body for those working in operational roles in the water sector. . 

With its increasing national membership base, WIOA assists its members and water industry stakeholders in collecting, generating, and exchanging high-quality operational information.

Each year, WIOA host a variety of operationally focused conferences and exhibitions whose fundamental goals are:

• The distribution of the latest “operational” technical and research-based information through platform and poster presentations.
• Update of knowledge and skills plus network development by operations staff through interaction with fellow Water Industry employees.
• Provide opportunities to view and discuss the latest advances in technical equipment and systems with suppliers and trade consultants.

Redox attends all major WIOA conferences annually and will be there at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre (TRECC) this April 6th and 7th.

The conferences cover a wide range of industry personnel from all levels of the industry. This includes key decision-makers, engineers, and of course, the operators themselves.

Our team will be at stand 64, and we look forward to seeing you there. Please come by and speak with one of our specialists about how Redox can become an integral part of your sourcing strategy.

Ion Exchange is a reversible chemical reaction where dissolved ions are removed and replaced with other ions of the same/similar electrical charge. This mechanism is exploited by Ion Exchange Resins which are a medium that facilitates the exchange of ions between the resin beads and the water as it moves past inside a vessel.

This process can create ultra-pure water for use in the production of semiconductors, solar photovoltaics, pharmaceuticals, and flat panel displays for rinsing/cleaning and various other critical processes.

Food manufacturers can use Ion Exchange Resins in a host of ways, from purifying water to use as an ingredient to decolourising, demineralising, and removing taste and odours.

Ion exchange resins are used in the manufacturing of semiconductors.

In power stations Ion Exchange Resins are used to demineralise feed water and treat condensate from the steam cycle. They are even utilised to recover various metals such as gold, uranium, and copper.

Possibly the widest use is as a pre-treatment step in various water treatment settings where they can work to improve the efficiency of Reverse Osmosis plants by lessening the load on filter membranes.

The two most commonly used Ion Exchange Resins are:

• Cation resins, that exchange positively charged ions, such as sodium, for calcium,
• Anion resins, which exchange negatively charged ions, such as chloride, for arsenic.

They are used to remove poisonous and hazardous metal ions from solution, replacing them with more innocuous ions, such as sodium and potassium.

How Ion Exchange Resins work

Water softening is the removal of calcium, magnesium, and certain other metal cations in hard water. The resulting soft water requires less soap for the same cleaning effort, as soap is not wasted bonding with calcium ions.

Soft water also extends the lifetime of plumbing by reducing or eliminating scale build-up in pipes and fittings.

Fig: Ion-exchange or Deionization or Demineralization Process.

Hard water is formed when water percolates through deposits of limestone, chalk or gypsum which are largely made up of calcium and magnesium carbonates, bicarbonates and sulphates. Iron oxides or iron carbonates can give a reddish-brown colouration to hard water deposits.

And while The World Health Organization says that “there does not appear to be any convincing evidence that water hardness causes adverse health effects in humans”, there are studies that correlate domestic hard water usage with increased eczema in children.

They can help improve both access and quality by helping provide a higher level of filtration for drinking water in developing countries around the world.

Redox can supply it in 25L and 1000L bags.

Contact us today and speak to one of our industry specialists to find out more.

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