MgO vs. Caustic Soda
When choosing a scrubber design or a scrubber input, you will need to decide whether to use MgO or caustic soda (NaOH). Understanding the difference is crucial, as your decision will impact the safety of your staff and the costs of your business.
CAUSTIC SODA
Why Caustic? Caustic soda has been the default choice of alkali for decades as it is a far more well-known product.
Safety: Caustic soda is highly dangerous to handle, and is on the Special Health Hazard Substance List. On contact, it can burn the skin and the eyes, and cause permanent lung damage through inhalation. In contact with water, it can create enough heat to ignite combustibles and produce poisonous gases. Overall, mishandling caustic soda can have severe consequences.
Cost Efficiency: Caustic is more expensive than MgO, and prices are far more volatile. In this application, consumption is 4x higher (in comparison to MgO quantities required), requiring more more material, and more storage space on vessels. Maintenance costs associated with using caustic soda are reportedly higher, as corrosion issues are common.
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VS. MAGNESIUM OXIDE
Why MgO? MgO is safe to handle, has a stable long-term supply, and is the less expensive than Caustic Soda.
Safety: Magnesium oxide is an essential nutrient for human health - we take it as a supplement, apply it to our skin, and use it to treat water (among many other things). It is also a common component in animal feed. So, it's easy to see why the product is safe to handle and ingest.
Cost Efficiency: MgO is less expensive than caustic soda, as less is required than caustic for use in a scrubber system - consumption is only 1/4 of the corresponding caustic soda needed. In addition, prices of magnesium oxide are more stable than caustic soda, and there is a strong, reliable long-term supply available.
TAKEAWAY
Caustic soda has been the default choice of alkali for decades as it is a far more well-known product. Magnesium oxide, on the other hand, is relatively lesser known, but its applications are growing day by day. As an alkali, magnesium oxide has become an increasingly popular alternative to caustic soda in other markets, such as water treatment and acidic waste neutralization. We see the same thing beginning to happen in the shipping industry. Shipping lines are becoming more aware of the benefits of choosing MgO over Caustic Soda.
In sum, we are seeing increased demand for scrubbers that use magnesium oxide, and as a result, for magnesium oxide products. Once our customers switch to MgO, they never go back.
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