Global News Update

September 2020

Contents

Managing WCC in COVID-19 times

WCC Management Committee Spring Meeting Overview

The WCC Management Committee has held two fruitful meetings this year - the first a two-hour telephone conference along with the Global Advocacy & Science Team (GAST) on 30 January 2020 to update on progress between the two main bi-annual meetings (the Spring Meeting and Annual Meeting).

The second meeting, held on 30 April as the 2020 Spring Meeting, was moved to MS Teams due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. Euro Chlor Secretariat members started with updates on their specific Team activities. Catherine Birkner first presented the Global Communications Team (GCT) work on the communications plan and WCC's two main communications tools - the WCC website and Cl17 Sharepoint. Richy Mariner highlighted the main Global Advocacy and Science Team (GAST) activities, namely the Mercury/Minamata Convention and Mercury Partnership, Stockholm POPs Convention, asbestos, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), disinfection by products (DBPs) and PFAS. Ton Manders summarised the Global Safety Team (GST) teleconference on 27 February, which had covered the 2020 WCC Safety Seminar (see article below), originally planned in China in November, and the GST newsletter. Reports followed from most of the WCC regions and the meeting then concluded with strategic matters including the Goals and Objectives 2020, WCC Sustainability report (see below), budget and next meeting. All the presentations and minutes can be found on the Cl17.

Regional snapshots

In the runup to the WCC Annual Meeting on 22 October, WCC regions provided snapshots of their recent work. 

North America
American Chemistry Council's Chlorine Chemistry Division (ACC CCD) 
ACC CCD has been actively responding to COVID-19, highlighting the role of chlorine chemistry in surface disinfection. CCD has also promoted its pool interlock safety video that details how to prevent accidental chlorine releases at pools due to electrical interlock failure and completed its booklet on Legionella management in building water systems earlier in the year and it is now being promoted with U.S. stakeholders. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) draft risk evaluation of asbestos was released in March. There were errors in EPA’s analysis of the data provided by the chlor-alkali industry that CCD highlighted.

In rail transportation, shipper organisations continue to challenge the railroads’ attempts to impose tank car standards and limit competition in the rail market. 

Chlorine Institute (CI)
Response to COVID-19 has been the focus for the past months. CI’s Annual Meeting was conducted virtually, as was the recent Fall Meeting. While this was not ideal and did not allow for the normal networking, it did allow CI to progress industry initiatives and provide technical education sessions. Industry in-person training sessions have been postponed until COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted. CI will be conducting a training webinar in Spanish later in 2020.

The EPA is continuing its review of asbestos use in chlor-alkali production. CI provided written and oral comments. EPA is also moving forward with reregistration of chlorine and sodium hydroxide as pesticides, in two separate efforts. CI will be asking for clarification. Finally, EPA has announced a decision not to regulate perchlorate in drinking water. This action is being challenged by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an NGO. 

In the transportation area, the railroads continue to attempt to assert control for specifications and rules for which the federal government has responsibility and authority. Rail transportation remains a key threat and, therefore, continues to be an area of focus for CI.

Latin America
Clorosur
Clorosur members' response to COVID-19 has been the focus for the past several months. Companies are sharing protocols and experiences. Plants are running normally and administrative plant people working from home. The Clorosur Biannual Technical Seminar and Safety Workshop scheduled in São Paulo, Brazil in November was cancelled and planned virtually in late-November/early-December.

The Braskem chlor-alkali plant in Camaçari/Bahia using mercury cell technology stopped its operations last April as scheduled.
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CYDSA's board, the owner of IQUISA, approved and got the funds to support the construction of a new membrane technology plant, closing the existing chlorine plant with mercury technology in Coatzacoalcos.
 
The last member of Clorosur using chrysotile diaphragm technology is converting the cells in agreement with the Governor of the State where the plant is located. Conversion should be completed in 2023.

In Brazil, a new law on universal sanitation by 2030 was approved. It is predicted that 40% of the actual chlorine capacity of the country will have to be expanded to comply with the chlorine needs for disinfection and PVC pipelines and connections.

Europe
Euro Chlor
At its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 11 September, Euro Chlor released its “Mid-Century Strategy for a Sustainable Chlor-Alkali Industry (MCS)” that defines what the sector aims to look like by 2050, as well as the direction planned to ensure that this safe, competitive and green European chlor-alkali industry will be here for the benefit of Europe in 2050. More information can be found here. 

Also at the AGM, Euro Chlor elected its new Chairman and launched its annual review of European chlor-alkali. 

RusChlor, Russian Chlor-Alkali Association 
RusChlor specialists have participated in efforts to overhaul the system of technical regulation in the Russian Federation under the so-called “Regulatory Guillotine”. With the assistance of the Russian Chemists Union, RusChlor experts were in the Government's Working Group on the reform. RusChlor has also formulated new industrial safety requirements to be introduced into the draft texts of the Federal Law on industrial safety and relevant subordinate legislation.

The problems with the bulk rail transportation of liquid chlorine with railcars or tank-containers continue. RusChlor specialists have participated in finalising the tank-container construction design and the liquid chlorine loading/unloading technology to be applied in the tank container. 

One of RusChlor's key tasks is to support member companies with information about available equipment and technologies at its annual International Scientific-and-Technological Conference. Due to COVID-19, this year's conference has been rescheduled to later this year or early next year.

Asia
Alkali Manufacturers Association of India (AMAI)
AMAI has been working closely with industry and government since the middle of March 2020 when the spread of COVID-19 infections started increasing with the following major AMAI initiatives:

1. Advice on the use of disinfectants posted on the AMAI homepage 
2. A database of manufacturers of chlorine, sodium hypochlorite and calcium hypochlorite provided to various government ministries/departments 
3. Daily reports on disinfection chemicals, particularly sodium hypochlorite and calcium hypochlorite, sent to Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals 
4. General Advisory on Safe Workplace Practices issued for media coverage on 14 April 2020
5. Active interface and liaison with industry and government on information relating to disinfection supply logistics and usage
6. Joint exercise with National Chemical Laboratory and Institute of Chemical Technology to study the exposure of humans to sodium hypochlorite. Joint Press Release issued on 27 May 
7. Collation and dissemination of government advisories to industry
8. Interface with other industry bodies on a common action plan and measures 

AMAI organised three webinars for members on trends and forecast on the impact of COVID-19 on the industry. More virtual meetings have been held to discuss issues relating to plant operations and safety.

China Chlor-Alkali Industry Association (CCAIA)
Safety: CCAIA compiled several rules, including for process safety control, operation requirements, repair and maintenance and emergency disposal and actively cooperated with Ministry of Emergency Management of the People’s Republic of China on the special promotion of production safety in the chlor-alkali industry.

Environment: CCAIA organised a workshop on environmental protection for chlor-alkali companies and a webinar with CPCIF on "Technical Guidelines for the efficient Application of low mercury catalysts in the calcium carbide method PVC industry".

Conference: The national caustic soda industry technical annual meeting was held in Chongqing in July 2020 to exchange views on economic operations, technological developments and operation management experience.

Japan Soda Industry Association (JSIA)
Due to the pandemic, the Japanese Government declared a “COVID-19 Emergency” from 7 April - 25 May, when all Japanese were requested to stay home. Concerning the chlor-alkali business, production and sales situation are not so different to other years. JSIA changed its meeting style from March onwards to “meeting on paper” and will start web meetings from September. 

The rainy season continued for a long time and in August suddenly the hot season started.

Korea Chlor-Alkali Industry Association (KCAiA)
South Korea's Ministry of Environment recently conducted a hazard screening of sodium hypochlorite in the K-REACH screening process, and it was determined that it was potentially harmful. Korean manufacturers and KCAiA have raised objections to the hazards of sodium hypochlorite,  and are currently conducting a re-examination.