Partners To Make Anhydrous Acid

Niacet and inorganic chemical supplier Alexander Chemical are joining to produce technical- and electronics-grade anhydrous hydrochloric acid. Niacet generates anhydrous HCl as a by-product of monochloroacetic acid manufacturing in Niagara Falls, N.Y., but has been converting it to a solution. The new partnership will purify the acid via cryogenic distillation and filtration and then market it in 21,000-lb tube trailers. The partners see themselves as a second source to Hydrochlor, a joint venture between Air Products & Chemicals and Linde that is the main U.S. producer of high-purity anhydrous HCl.