The Different Divisions
DCW PIONEERED THE manufacture of Soda Ash in India. The original
capacity of 60 tonnes per day has been increased in stages to the
present day capacity of 300 TPD and new products have been added to
bring diversity to the product portfolio.
A major modernisation programme, aimed at energy conservation
was completed in 1993. Based on the "total energy utilisation"
concept, the energy consumption per tonne of soda ash was reduced from
6.59 million K Cal to 3.55 million K Cal - almost half. There has been
a total revamp of plant and machinery that has improved operating
efficiency.
The product range of the Soda Ash division now
reads an impressive 96,000 TPA of Soda Ash, Ammonium Bicarbonate 5000
TPA, Soda Bicarbonate 12,000 TPA, Liquid Bromine 300 TPA; Isopropyl
Bromide 120 TPA; Ethyl Bromide 40 TPA; Butyl Bromide 8 TPA. Calcium
Chloride is also produced but its production is seasonal. Salt, the
major raw material is produced at the company's own salt works - just
22 kms away.
The products of this division cater to a wide
range of end user industries such as detergents, sodium silicate, dye
intermediates, brine purification, ore refining, bakeries, cooling
agents, pesticides, drug intermediaries, paper, chemicals, glass
etc.
Today, DCW has a range of loyal customers
including blue chip names such as Hindustan Lever, Atul Products,
Gujarat Alkalies, Grasim Industries etc.
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THE CAUSTIC SODA DIVISION
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DCW commissioned a plant for the production of Caustic Soda in
1959. The output of Caustic Soda has been increased in stages from
28,000 TPA to 80,000 TPA, making DCW one of the leading producers of
this basic chemical in India. Modernisation has been an ongoing
activity to improve productivity & efficiencies in the electrolysis of
Caustic Soda, Replacement of old equipment & installation of
continuous salt saturators have resulted in substantial energy
savings.
The by-product,chlorine, is fully used to add value in-house. With increasing demand for liquid chlorine, the plant capacity has been increased from 60 TPD to 80 TPD. Process improvement, in terms of medium pressure liquefaction has will resulted in more productivity, less consumption of electrical energy and refrigerant.
With a capacity of 5,400 TPA, DCW was India's
first producer of tri-chloroethylene, an important degreasing
agent. Even today, DCW is one of only few who make this solvent in
India, and has exported this commodity as well. The Hydrochloric Acid
plant capacity has been increased to 46,000 TPA with new graphite
furnaces and DCW has been one of the first to export this product.
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SYNTHETIC RUTILE
High on the list of significant landmarks in
DCW's history was the implementation of the project to manufacture
upgraded ilmenite, also known as synthetic rutile, for the first time
in Asia in 1970. The raw material, ilmenite ore, found in the black
sands of Tamil Nadu & Kerala, is chemically upgraded to form synthetic
rutile of over 95% Titanium dioxide content and is used as an
alternative to natural rutile required for manufacture of Titanium
dioxide and Titanium metal. The Plant was commissioned with almost
entirely indigenous know-how and is presently one of the few of its
kind in the world. The present capacity is 20,000 TPA.
Besides being one of the highest purity synthetic
rutiles in the market, DCW's product also has very low levels of
radioactive content, making it a top quality material. DCW has
consistently exported synthetic rutile to the USA, Japan and other
demanding markets.
DCW has also developed in-house, a new special
"weld grade" synthetic rutile which caters to the requirements of
welding & electrode manufacturers by being a substitute for natural
rutile. Also through in-house R&D and constant experimentation, a
superior product called "UTOX" was developed as a partial substitute
for white pigment. The product is manufactured with stringent
production & quality controls to ensure consistent particle size &
colour. The product finds application in the paint, plastic and rubber
industries in India and abroad.
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FERRITE GRADE IRON OXIDE
DCW is now installing a facility for the manufacture of Ferrite grade Iron Oxide from the effluent of ilmenite plant. The quality of the Iron Oxide will enable it to be used in the manufacture of Soft Ferrites which have wide applications in the Electronic Industry. The technology employed is the Solvent extraction process, which ensures a high level of purity of the final product.
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SYNTHETIC YELLOW IRON OXIDE
It is manufactured by the precipitation process using leach liquor - a waste from the Ilmenite plant. The quality of the product matches international standards. It finds application in cement paints, Stainers, Paper, Industrial enamels and construction material.
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Petrochemicals has been the new buzzword of Indian industry in recent
years. In 1970, DCW became one of the first in India to enter this
growing field by setting up a PVC resin plant at Sahupuram in Tamil
Nadu in Southern India.
DCW was the first, and is currently the only
Indian producer to handle and store imported VCM, a volatile gas. It
successfully erected a total storage capacity of 5,600 MT at Tuticorin
port (a distance of 30 km from the plant) - including a huge 5000 M3
sphere. This installation is one of the few of its kind in South East
Asia and gives the company a competitive edge in meeting its import
requirements.
Constant in-house R&D with modifications in
process recipes, resulted in continuous increase in production with
very little additional investment. The production crossed 20,000 TPA
in 1985-86 after a technical tie up with Atochem, France which also
assisted DCW in improving efficiency.
With installation of stainless steel reactors, a
new energy efficient fluid bed dryer and state of the art vapour
absorption refrigeration, the production capacity has now reached
60,000 TPA.
An important spinoff has been the improvement in
product quality, production of food grade PVC, and significant
consumption efficiencies, comparable with the best in the world.
PVC Resin is a thrust area for DCW. Having
established its excellence in polymer manufacture and marketing, DCW
is making efforts to develop new PVC applications. PVC is already the
most widely used thermoplastic in India, with a growth rate of over
15%. It finds application in rigid pipes, heavy power cables,
footwear, luggage, bottles, flooring & sidings, window profiles,
automotive parts, etc.
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