Why Ceramic Membranes Outperform Traditional Filters in Brine Refining: A Real-World Case

Not long ago, Jiuwu Hi-Tech reported the 14-year cooperation story with Hebei Sanyou Chlor-Alkali. In Ruichang, Jiangxi, five sets of Jiuwu Hi-Tech ceramic membrane units are also operating efficiently, serving Jiangxi Liwen Chemical Co., Ltd. — a benchmark enterprise in Jiangxi Province's intelligent manufacturing. Recently, we visited the front-line production site at Liwen Chemical to see firsthand how Jiuwu Hi-Tech's ceramic membranes are helping this "advanced smart factory" solve brine refining challenges and achieve a dual leap in green transformation and digitalization.

Liwen Chemical's "Digital Intelligence Foundation": Providing the Best Stage for Advanced Processes

Jiangxi Liwen Chemical is a pioneer in the digital transformation of the chlor-alkali industry. In 2025, the company took the lead in building a big data platform for caustic soda production, deeply integrating six major systems — production execution, equipment management, energy and carbon management, HSE management, personnel positioning, and video surveillance — with its caustic soda energy consumption level ranking among the top in the industry. Subsequently, within just one and a half years, Jiangxi Liwen Chemical expanded its digital foundation to 25 platforms across the entire company, covering five major areas: operations, production, dual carbon, support, and knowledge. It is precisely this intelligent management and control system, which demands extremely high data accuracy and operational stability, that provides the most fitting application scenario for the automated and digital operation of Jiuwu Hi-Tech's ceramic membrane units — the stable process data generated in real time by the ceramic membrane system has become an indispensable underlying support for the big data platform.

Pain Points Drive Change: How Jiuwu Hi-Tech Broke the "Chokehold" of Traditional Processes

Before 2020, despite Jiangxi Liwen Chemical's leading management level and degree of automation, the primary brine refining process was still plagued by many pain points associated with traditional organic membrane technology. The equipment was bulky, and its open design caused space waste and environmental hazards. The process flow was long with numerous control points, and even slight fluctuations in raw salt quality could disrupt the entire system, making it difficult for the electrolyzers to operate at full capacity. Additionally, organic membranes imposed stringent requirements on raw salt quality, forcing the company to purchase high-cost premium salt, while salt sludge treatment expenses also remained persistently high.

These "bottleneck" challenges were precisely where Jiuwu Hi-Tech's ceramic membrane technology came into play. In 2020, after thorough investigation, Jiangxi Liwen Chemical determined that Jiuwu Hi-Tech had mature and extensive application cases in the field of primary brine refining in the chlor-alkali industry, and that its ceramic membrane technology features were highly aligned with its own pain points. This was a precise choice driven by pain points, and even more so, a forward-looking investment in advanced processes.

Technology Empowerment: The Leap from "Pioneer Trial" to "Full Deployment"

Once commissioned, Jiuwu Hi-Tech's ceramic membrane units immediately demonstrated remarkable performance. Its inorganic material resists acid, alkali, high temperature, and high pressure, with a pH applicable range from 0 to 14, unaffected by oxidants and possessing extremely high strength. The fully enclosed system completely eliminates salt mist volatilization, transforming the on-site environment. After six months of operation, the results far exceeded expectations: the requirement for raw salt quality was significantly reduced, allowing the company to extensively use more economical raw materials such as well salt, greatly lowering procurement costs; the dosage of refining agents was reduced, and the volume of salt sludge generated decreased noticeably, reducing solid waste treatment costs accordingly; the equipment has a small footprint, and maintenance and repairs are flexible without affecting continuous production, resulting in significantly optimized operation and maintenance costs.

The initial success strengthened Jiangxi Liwen Chemical's confidence in fully switching its technical route. In 2021, the company decisively added three more fully automatic ceramic membrane units, while upgrading the first two units to full automatic control simultaneously. At this point, five sets of Jiuwu Hi-Tech ceramic membrane units were "fully deployed" at Liwen Chemical's plant, completely replacing the original organic membrane equipment and achieving the leap from "pioneer trial" to "full deployment." Maintenance operations such as fully automatic acid cleaning require no manual intervention, greatly simplifying the process. Production data is integrated into the caustic soda big data platform in real time, enabling lean management to extend from "macro-level scheduling" down to "micro-level process sections." Today, these five units have become the "stabilizer" of Liwen Chemical's 300,000-ton caustic soda production line, ensuring the electrolyzers operate at full capacity efficiently over the long term, indirectly generating significant economic benefits.

Co-creating the Future: The Jiangxi Liwen Chemical Model and a New Chapter for the Industry

The cooperation between Jiangxi Liwen Chemical and Jiuwu Hi-Tech means far more than just equipment renewal. The fully enclosed, low-emission characteristics of the ceramic membrane system reduce pollution at the source, closely aligning with Liwen Chemical's goal of building a green factory. Its automated and data-driven operational features provide real, continuous process parameters for the company's digital foundation, enabling more precise intelligent control. Led by its self-built digital foundation, Liwen Chemical has systematically integrated process upgrades, energy consumption management, safety, and environmental protection into a replicable "Liwen Smart Manufacturing" methodology, with Jiuwu Hi-Tech's ceramic membranes serving as a key technological component within it.

This visit gave us a deep appreciation that Jiangxi Liwen Chemical is not only an excellent partner of Jiuwu Hi-Tech, but also a pioneer in green intelligent manufacturing in the chlor-alkali industry. In the future, Jiuwu Hi-Tech will continue to leverage its leading ceramic membrane technology, working hand in hand with benchmark clients such as Liwen Chemical, to jointly drive the industry toward greater efficiency, sustainability, and intelligence, and to write a new chapter in the high-quality development of the chlor-alkali sector.