Document zD3ZaXnDQL814rxrKzLnqGyn

PLASTICS & RUBBER WEEKLY p. 1 NOVEMBER 28, 1969 No. 304 n. r nr i ' . i! Tlic report also takes into account that pvc will only form a small percentage of collected waste which is incinerated, and allows for the increasing use of pvc into the 1 !)Hns. The report is, of course, prepared on the usage of pvc in Sweden which rail at about (iO.t)OO ton (metric) during ItlliH, and forecast to rise to (in--300,1)00 ton in ltmo. The Royal Academy cstimated that during 1U08 G.flOo ton of pvc went to waste, \ ; I j ( i j ! I I , j 1 t j of which 1,020 ton was burnt. 1 - Forecast for 1980 suggests that 30,000 ton will come up as waste, of which 12,000 ton of this pvc will be o burnt. r From these tonnages, it is deduced that 600 ton of -j 0> hydrochloric add was pro duced in the atmosphere in to UI68, a figure which will rise to 7,000 in 1980. The final conclusion is that the amount of pollution due to burning pvc will only represent 0.5 per cent of the total from other sources in 1980 and that in 1908 the - figure was 0.05 per cent. * By BRIAN WILLIAMSON THE incineration of pvc among other waste [products wilt present no major health hazard [into the 1980's -- this is the main conclusion i of what will be the most controversial paper delivered at the Scanpiant 69 conference which ran concurrently with the exhibition in Gothen burg, Sweden, this week. However, the findings will carry great weight as it is the work of a completely independent body. It is the work oflVA, the Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences. The academy celebrated its 50th anniversary during October this year. Thu findings do not ignore (be fact that incinera tion of pvc causes pollution of (he atmosphere, but does suggest that the amount of hydrochloric add formed is insignificant when compared with the amount of sulphuric acid which is formed due to burning oil -- for central heating installations, for { example. 6 marketing information European Chemical News, January 30, 1970 1<*T VC tightness ANDHiCK RISE IN THE price of PVC has i.ikcn place in the UK, IC1 has announced that it will raise the price of ihc material by 7 per cent from February 9. It is understood that the announcement took the other major UK producer, BP Chemicals, by sur prise and that it immediately put an application for a price increase before the UK Board of Trade, I Cl states that consequential rises in the price of PVC compounds and powder blends will be made at the same time, taking into account the current changes in raw material costs. While there will be no change in the price of plasticized compounds and powder blends with a BS softness greater than 50 those with a BS soft ness of 50 or less will be increased by 3-5 ($8-4)/metric ton and the price of unplasticized PVC will be increased by 7 (S16-S)/metric ton. Previous price increases in the UK were a 7 per cent rise last year and a 6 per cent increase the year before after devaluation of sterling. In all prices have risen by around 20 per cent. Recently in the UK there has been a decrease in the price of phthalate plasticizers of between 4-5 and 7/ton. No reasons for the increase in prices have been given by either ICI or BP. The rise may reflect a rise in the price of vinyl chloride. Capacity for this monomer is not in excess of demand in the EEC. Most producers appear to agree that the vinyl chloride/ PVC demand is roughly in balance. Nevertheless, there is a strong import market Conoco Chemicals, for example, is said to be bringing more than 100 000 ton/year into Western Europe. This company has recently announced an increase in vinyl chloride prices. These are raised from S4-75/Ib to S 5-0/lb, f.o.b. Lake Charles, La. Conoco relates the increase to rising costs. In the past exceptionally strong com petition and over-capacity had reflected in a continually decreasing price for both vinyl chloride and for PVC. Now that the materials are relatively tight prices are establishing themselves at an " economic" level. In general it is thought that prices will not rise higher for vinyl chloride in the immediate future but will remain steady at their current level of around 60-65/ton. In the near future, say, late 1971 observers forecast a drop in prices. This will be a reflection, presumably, of the operation of the large vinyl chloride plants being built, for example, by Dutch State Mines and KZO each with a capacity of around 300 000 ton/ year and intended to help create and supply a merchant market for vinyl chloride. Thereafter, by the mid-70s, prices are likely to rise again. It is thought that this rise will reflect increases in the cost of chlorine and of ethylene. OLI 7643 SAFETY decomposition of PVC yields a hazardous gas WHEN POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) wire insulation is heated it goes through two stages of decomposition. In the second phase, where high levels of heat are involved, the decomposition yields the familiar dark sooty smoke. In the initial stage, however, when the level of heat input is relatively low, a white hydrochloric acid mist is generated. The mist is formed when the colorless hydrogen chloride (HC1) gas, which is released, combines with moisture in the air. The release of hydrogen chloride prior to the development of dense smoke presents a potentially hazardous situation because the HC1, either as the gas or the acid, acts as a primary irritant and corrosive agent to the res piratory system. It also is adsorbed on contact with surfaces, such as the skin. Gaseous hydrogen chloride is re leased from PVC at about 230 C. The rate of release depends on the tempera ture and density of the material. If the temperature is maintained below 340 C, dark smoke or soot will not form. It is only above 340 C that the dark smoke or carbonaceous degrada tion products are formed. In studies at the Building Research Div. of the National Bureau of Stan dards, Washington, D.C., the combus tion products from only 42 cm- of sample surface reached a HC1 con centration of above 1,600 ppm. in a 0.5-m3 test chamber. From 1,000 to 2,000 ppm of hydro gen chloride is considered dangerous on short exposure. It requires 5,000 to 10.000 ppm of carbon monoxide to create a dangerous atmosphere. 24 INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH-FEB 1970