Sodium Hydroxide

Diaphragm Process
In this process, asbestos is used as a diaphragm to prevent the meeting of
Cl2 formed at the anode with NaOH which occurs at the cathode. H2 gas
occurs at the cathode. The concentration of the resulting NaOH solution
ranges from 10-12% and contains about 15% unreacted NaCl. Diaphragm
cells require less energy than mercury cells, but the resulting NaOH needs
to be concentrated and the remaining NaCl must be precipitated. This
concentration requires high investment and energy costs, and the resulting
NaOH solution has low purity. Asbestos used as a diaphragm is also not
environmentally friendly.