Chemical Recovery
Recovering caustic is really an exercise in boiling water. Whether it pays depends on the steam price, not the caustic price.
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Caustic recovered less the steam spent recovering it
Recovered lye carries the dyes, sizes and impurities picked up on the range, so a mercerising plant cannot usually return it to full-strength duty without purification. Caustic is severely corrosive and the recovery loop runs hot — this sizes a process, not a safety case.
Caustic Soda Recovery Plant Efficiency & Payback Modeler — free, with the formula and a worked example, at Textile School.