Halogen Plant Scenario Presets
Load calibrated brine, caliche and battery-grade bromine benchmarks:
Brine, Caliche, Pricing & Capital Inputs
Bromine & Iodine Process Flowsheet
| Process Parameter | Output / Metric |
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| Revenue / Cost Line | Annual ($M/yr) |
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20-Year NPV & IRR Sensitivity: Brine Bromide Grade vs. Bromine Price
20-Year Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Pro-Forma Schedule
10-Year Straight-Line Depreciation | 21% Tax | 1.5%/yr Escalation| Year | Br₂ (t) | I₂ (t) | Revenue ($M) | OPEX ($M) | EBITDA ($M) | Taxes ($M) | Free Cash Flow ($M) | Discounted FCF ($M) | Cumulative FCF ($M) |
|---|
Governing Halogen Chemistry Equations
1. Bromide Oxidation
Chlorine displaces bromide from acidified brine:
Cl2 + 2Br− → Br2 + 2Cl−
Stoichiometric demand is 0.444 t Cl2 per t Br2; plants use about 0.55 t.
2. Iodate Reduction
Sulfite reduces iodate to iodide and iodine:
2IO3− + 5HSO3− → I2 + 5SO42− + 3H+ + H2O
Comproportionation: 5I− + IO3− + 6H+ → 3I2 + 3H2O.
3. Brine Bromine Mass Balance
Annual bromine output from brine flow and grade:
mBr2 = Q × 8,000 h × CBr × η
Q in m³/hr, C in g/m³ (= mg/L), result in tonnes after ÷106.
Bromine & Iodine Production Mastery Quiz
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Brine containing 0.5–6 g/L bromide is acidified to pH 3–4 and treated with chlorine (Cl2 + 2Br− → Br2 + 2Cl−). Steam or air in a packed tower strips the liberated Br2 vapor, which is condensed, separated from water by density, and distilled to 99.9% bromine. Practical Cl2 use is roughly 0.55 t per t Br2 against a 0.44 t stoichiometric minimum.
Caliche ore contains 300–700 ppm iodine as sodium iodate. Heap leaching produces iodate liquor of about 0.5 g/L iodine. Part of the liquor is reduced with sulfite or SO2 to iodide, then blended with fresh iodate liquor so that iodide and iodate comproportionate into solid I2, which is filtered, melted and prilled.
Bromine radicals scavenge the H and OH radicals that sustain combustion chain reactions, so brominated compounds such as TBBPA and polymeric flame retardants suppress fire in circuit boards and plastics at low loadings. Completion brines for oil wells and zinc-bromine flow batteries make up other markets.
Iodine supply is concentrated in Chile, Japan and the United States, with demand from X-ray contrast media, LCD polarizer films, pharmaceuticals and catalysts. Few producers and long project lead times make prices volatile, while caliche co-product costs keep low-cost producers highly profitable.
The model builds revenue from bromine and iodine tonnage and prices, subtracts chlorine, steam, reagents, mining, power and fixed O&M, applies a two-year ramp, 10-year straight-line depreciation, 21% tax and 1.5% annual escalation, then discounts 20 years of free cash flow at WACC to give NPV, IRR and payback.