Production industrielle avec le phosgène

Industrial Production with Phosgene

Abstract

Phosgene is a highly toxic substance. The industrial production using phosgene can be mastered as long as adequate measures regarding safety and environment protection are taken. The following requirement must be respected at all times: 'Any phosgene leaking out of the plant must be collected and destroyed'.
The present case study shows how this requirement is implemented at Novartis Crop Protection Inc. in Monthey by manufacturing and using phosgene in equipment considered intrinsically safe. Indeed, implementation of 'dynamic' reactors for the production of phosgene, manufacturing and delivering the phosgene just-in-time to the users, without intermediate storage, have made it possible to strongly reduce the quantities of phosgene contained in the plant. Furthermore, confinement in a double envelope of the phosgene production, supply and utilization equipment, makes it possible to collect any leakage with ultimate destruction of the phosgene in specific installations.