Hydrogen Chloride – Uses, Prices, and Production

This blog is the sixth in a series of blogs I plan to write providing use, price, and production data on high-use inorganic and organic chemicals.  Click here to see the first blog in this series and a list of chemicals to be featured.  This blog provides data on hydrogen chloride.   The primary purpose of these blogs is to present estimates of recent price, production, and sales revenues for the chemicals.

Uses.  Uses of hydrogen chloride include:

Ø  In the production of other chemicals such as: vinyl and alkyl chlorides; chlorine-containing carbon compounds; chlorine; and inorganic chlorides;

Ø  In surface treatment of steel;

Ø  In the semiconductor industry, e.g., in etching semiconductor crystals and in purifying silicon;

Ø  In titanium and magnesium production;

Ø  In regenerating catalysts;

Ø  In the textile, paint, mining, rubber, and other industries, e.g., as an acid; and

Ø  In making fertilizers.

Hydrogen chloride usefulness derives from being able to readily provide chloride ions for creating new chlorine-containing compounds and in readily producing hydrogen ions for adjusting solution pH and in initiating various reactions.

Prices.  Two forms of hydrogen chloride are in use – anhydrous and aqueous.  Anhydrous hydrogen chloride, a gas at room temperature, is very reactive and needs to be handled cautiously and in special containers.  It is the more expensive of the two forms.  2019 prices found on the Internet range from $5 to $10 per kilogram (kg) (if purchased in large quantities) or $25 to $35 per kg (if purchased in low quantities).  A major use of anhydrous hydrogen chloride is in the semiconductor industry, where high purity hydrogen chloride is needed.  

Aqueous hydrogen chloride (hydrochloric acid) is much cheaper, around 25 cents per kg.   Aqueous hydrogen chloride usually has a hydrogen chloride concentration of 30 to 35%.

Production.  A very high percentage (perhaps as high as 90%) of aqueous hydrogen chloride is produced as a by-product, e.g., in the production of chlorinated hydrocarbons using chlorine.  And the aqueous hydrogen chloride by-product is then used internally in other processes, without being commercially available.  So estimated commercial amounts of aqueous hydrogen chloride produced certainly are low estimates.

Amounts of aqueous hydrogen chloride produced could not be found searching the Internet.  However, estimated revenues for aqueous hydrogen chloride found is in the $1 billion range (for 2019).  Using an estimated price of 25 cents per kg (see prices above) for aqueous hydrogen chloride gives an estimated production of 4 million metric tons (mt) in 2019 ($1 billion divided by 25 cents per kg).  Assuming that the 4 million mt represents only 10% of the aqueous hydrogen chloride produced (i.e., 90% made by companies is used internally, and not sold commercially), then the total 2019 aqueous hydrogen chloride production could be more like 40 million mt.

Estimated revenues generated from anhydrous hydrogen chloride sales in 2019 was found on the Internet to be in the $3 billion range. This gives a production of 300,000 mt ($3 billion divided  by $10 per kg) for anhydrous hydrogen chloride.

An earlier blog on chlorine can be read by clicking here.