ASSIGNMENT

CHEMISTRY
GROUP 03
RESEARCH ON POLYMERS (PLASTICS)
INDEX
S.no. Topic Page no.
01
02
03
04

NAME ROLL.NO RESEARCH WORK

MUHAMMAD
ME-011
IMRAN
MUNIM KHAN ME-012
MUHAMMAD
ME-013
BILAL
HASAN AHMED ME-014

HAFIZ USAMA ME-015

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 MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC)

POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC):

Polyvinyl chloride is basically a polymer of vinyl chloride (monomer).It results

by the addition polymerization of vinyl chloride with no by product. It is the world third most
synthetic plastic polymer after polyethylene and polypropylene .

EQUATION:

The chemical process for making PVC involves three steps: first, production of the monomer,
vinylchloride;then linking of these monomer units in a polymerization process; finally the
blending of the polymer with additives

RAW MATERIALS:

 Natural gas.
 Salt.

DETAIL OF PROCESS:

CRACKING:

Ethylene comes from oil or natural gas which is refined and 'cracked' by heating ethane, propane
or butane or naptha from oil. For example the cracking process for methane may be represented
as follows:

2CH4 C2H2 + 3H2

The by-products of these processes including hydrogen can be burned to provide energy on site
and propylene is reclaimed as is valuable. These by-products are flammable but are not toxic nor
cancer forming.

PRODUCING CHLORINE (Electrolytic cell):

Salt obtained from Brine is placed in electrolytic cell and Current is passed through it. Chlorine
gas bubbles off in one part of the cell and sodium metal in other part. Sodium reacts with water
to form Caustic soda and hydrogen gas. Both of which have important commercial uses.

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The manufacture of PVC accounts for 30% of the chlorine produced industrially. The presence
of chlorine makes PVC compatible with a wide range of other materials making PVC very
versatile. Also, chlorine makes PVC flame retardant and allows PVC to be distinguished when
sorting plastics for recycling.

PRODUCING VINYL CHLORIDE (VCM plant):

Ethylene and chlorine are combined to form a liquid, ethylene dichloride (i) which is then
heated to give vinyl chloride (ii) which is then distilled off and gives hydrogen chloride gas;

H2C=CH2 + Cl-H2C-CH2Cl H2C=CHCl + HCl

(i) (ii)

Side reactions also occur to form organochlorine compounds some of which are collected as they
have a commercial use. The remaining by-products are burnt to reclaim hydrogen chloride,
which can be recycled and reacted with more ethylene to form new ethylene dichloride.

POLYMERIZATION OF VINYL CHLORIDE(PVC Plant):

The polymerization of vinyl chloride can be carried out by the following processes :

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1. Suspension polymerization
2. Emulsion polymerization
3. Bulk or mass polymerization.
SUSPENSION POLYMERIZATION:

Liquid vinyl chloride is insoluble in water and disperses to fine droplets when mechanically
agitated. The droplets remain in suspension as long as the agitation continues. Polymerization is
carried out in pressurized vessels under the influence of heat and initiators and/or catalysts,
which are soluble in the water. A typical initiator is an organic peroxide.
The reaction is exothermic and the heat evolved is carried to the sides of the reaction vessel by
the water. Suspension agents known as protective colloids are added to the reactor to prevent the
monomer droplets coalescing and the polymer particles from agglomerating.
When the desired conversion is reached, the batch is transferred to a blow down vessel. Several
batches may be transferred to this vessel for blending. Unreacted monomer is recovered and
recycled back to the polymerization reactor. The polymer particles are dried.

EMULSION POLYMERIZATION:

In this process, surfactants (soaps) are used to disperse the vinyl chloride monomer in water. The
monomer is trapped inside soap micelles are protected by the soap and polymerization takes
place using water soluble initiators.
The process can be either continuous or batch but both lead to a polymer latex which is a very
fine suspension of polymer particles (~ 0.1µm diameter) in water. Excess monomer is recovered
and recycled and the polymer particles are dried.

BULK POLYMERIZATION:

Unlike suspension or emulsion polymerization, bulk polymerization is carried out in the

complete absence of water, protective colloids or emulsifying agents. This process relies on the
fact that the polymer is insoluble in the monomer and precipitates out to form grains that have no
tendency to agglomerate. The main problem is the difficulty in heat removal and this problem is
solved by carrying out the polymerisation in two stages.
In the first stage, vinyl chloride monomer is mechanically agitated ion a vertical autoclave
withthe appropriate initiators until a conversion of 7 – 10% is achieved. This first pre-
polymerization step determines the number of particles that will be formed. Heat is removed by
continuously condensing the VCM vapouur above the liquid reaction mixture.
The pre-polymer is then transferred to a horizontal autoclave equipped with a slow paddle. Here,
the particles already formed grow by the formation of further polymer. The process is stopped
when 70 – 90% of the monomer has been.

BLENDER:

Additives are blended with PVC to determine the properties of the PVC we want to form. These
include; texture, colour, stability, mechanical and electrical properties, clarity and weather
fastness.

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 A variety of processing methods such as extrusion, injection moulding, blow moulding and
coating are then applied to the PVC compounds to form products.
Common/main additives are as follows:
plasticisers (make products flexible)
heat stabilisers (prevent PVC decomposing when heated)
lubricants (control its rate of flow when it is molten and prevents it from sticking to metal
surfaces)
processing aids and impact modifiers (make plastic more workable or make the final
article stronger)
fillers (make up half the weight of a PVC plastic article to increase profits)
colourants (organic dyes or inorganic pigments)
flame retardants (PVC is less flammable than most polymers but by adding a few %
antimony oxide makes it even less so)

Other specialist additives are antistatic agents, biostabilisers and viscosity modifiers.

All the additives are tested for environmental compatibility and toxological safety before they
are used.

APPLICATIONS

MEDICAL:

PVC is flexible, strong, durable even under changing

temperatures and conditions. It is safe i.e non-toxic, is
chemically stable, is highly biocompatible with tissue/blood, is
clear and transparent so is used for blood bags and intravenous
containers.. PVC is also low cost and provides many uses in
hospitals such as in flooring of operating theatres and mattress
covers as is easy to clean and hygenic.

ELECTRICAL:

PVC has good insulating properties, it is flexible and durable and is resistant to aggressive
environments so is a suitable insulating and sheathing material for wiring and cables used in
household goods such as fridges and cookers and also office equipment such as
computers and photocopiers. Also wires can be made from PVC in a range a
colours which is important for identification purposes.

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VEHICLE:

The use of PVC in vehicle components reduces the weight of the vehicle hence reduces fuel
consumption and so conserves fossil fuels. PVC also increases design freedom and increases
safety of the vehicle by providing shock-absorbing parts such as airbags and also fire retardant
properties.

BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION:

PVC resists corrosion and weathering and so has many outdoor uses such as water butts, window
frames, mud flaps, water pipes and garden furniture. PVC is also tough and doesn't crack and can
easily be shaped so can be produced as fibre, foam or film.

TOYS:

PVC is non-toxic, tough and durable and products can be made in a variety of colours providing
the perfect material to make toys with.

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