Published June 1966
The vinyl chloride monomer industry has during the past decade undergone radical changes that placed vinyl chloride production on a new, less expensive raw material basis.
In general, the developments in the field of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) have been less radical and could be termed as improvements. The most significant development is the commercialization of bulk vinyl chloride polymerization. While it is too early to assess the full impact of the bulk PVC process, the higher purity of bulk polymers may well prove to give them a significant quality edge over the so-called general purpose resins. This report is aimed at comparing the cost of the established processes, suspension and emulsion, with the cost of the bulk process. The second objective is to summarize the status of the established processes and to present the information available on the bulk process.
The scope of the report is limited to the homopolymerization of vinyl chloride. Copolymers and resin compounding are discussed only to the extent that they contribute to a balanced picture of the polyvinyl chloride industry. Graft polymers and various application techniques such as PVC fibers and foams are not included in the report.
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