1894 was the beginning of more than 100 years of development in Chlor-Alkali-Industry in Bitterfeld with the start-up of the first industrial scale electrolysis based on diaphragm cells from Griesheim Elektron. Characteristic for these cells were the vertically arranged electrodes with porous cement diaphrams. In Bitterfeld 1894 already the improved version according to the picture on the left side was used, where six anodes were arranged in each salt containing anode chamber.

The anode chamber consisted of a framework from angle iron that supported the diaphragms. 90 cells with 30 of them connected in a row made an electrolysis plant of the so called "normal size". The cells were operated discontinuously with "standing" electrolyte until after two or three days the potassium hydroxide concentration had reached 60 - 70 g/l KOH.