Recovery
Concentrate dilute HCl streams for reuse.
Hydrochloric Acid Recovery & Purification
Hydrochloric-acid recovery, concentration and purification systems selected around feed strength, contaminants, capacity and reuse target.
UD Technologies · Vadodara, India
Acid recovery and reuse
Recover value from dilute or contaminated hydrochloric acid.
Hydrochloric acid and water form a maximum-boiling azeotrope near 20.2 wt% HCl at atmospheric pressure. Below that point, straightforward evaporation can concentrate acid toward the azeotrope, but producing stronger acid requires a change in relative volatility or pressure.
UD Technologies selects extractive, pressure-shift or purification arrangements around feed concentration, contaminants and reuse specification. Recovery reduces neutralisation demand and the cost and environmental load associated with dilute spent-acid disposal.
Purification
Separate high-boiling contamination from reusable acid.
Multiple technologies
Extractive and pressure-dependent separation options.
Materials selected by duty
Construction follows concentration, capacity and contaminants.
Salient features
Choose the separation route around the acid equilibrium.
Materials, utilities, controls and equipment arrangement are selected around the feed and required product.
Azeotrope-aware design
Technology selection recognises the atmospheric HCl/water limit.
Extractive concentration
Sulfuric acid or calcium-chloride solution changes relative volatility.
Pressure-shift recovery
Vacuum and pressure alter azeotrope composition for separation.
Contaminant removal
High boilers remain in the reboiler bottoms during purification.
HCl gas recycle
Released gas can be reabsorbed into pure acid to rebuild concentration.
Reduced neutralisation
Recovered acid replaces disposal and fresh-acid demand.
Process configuration
Select recovery or purification around the feed.
Final capacity, materials and instrumentation are confirmed against the process data and site utilities.
Dilute-acid concentration
Concentrate below-azeotrope hydrochloric acid
Technology options
- Atmospheric limit
- Approximately 20.2 wt% HCl at 1 bar
- Beyond azeotrope
- Extractive agent such as H₂SO₄ or aqueous CaCl₂
- Alternative
- Pressure-shift distillation using vacuum and higher pressure
Contaminated-acid purification
Remove high boilers and rebuild acid concentration
Process sequence
- Feed
- Concentrated HCl containing high-boiling impurities
- Distillation
- Split into approximately 20% HCl and HCl gas
- Purification
- High boilers leave from first-section reboiler bottoms
- Reconstitution
- Absorb HCl gas into purified acid to produce stronger acid
Related system
Absorb recovered HCl gas efficiently.
Compare adiabatic and falling-film systems for converting hydrogen chloride gas into hydrochloric acid.
Discuss your requirements