Improving Sustainability of PVC through Novel Materials, Processes and Life Cycle Methodologies

PVC是一种独特的多功能聚合物，在许多工业部门的广泛应用中使用。应用范围从水管、窗框、排水沟和踢脚板到信用卡、食品包装、医疗管道和血液储存袋。然而，多年来，人们一直对PVC的负面环境和社会（特别是健康）影响表示担忧。这项研究的目的是使PVC成为一种更环保的材料。这将通过解决如何改善PVC在生产、使用和处置过程中的环境足迹来实现。PVC的一个特殊问题是，它在加热时容易降解并释放出氯化氢（HCl）气体。这种气体既有毒又有腐蚀性。在PVC颗粒可以被加热和熔化以制造产品（如窗框）之前，有必要添加稳定剂以防止降解。传统上用于稳定PVC的一些化合物本身是有毒的-例如各种重金属化合物（例如铅）。在我们的研究中，我们的目标是找到更有效地分散无毒添加剂的新方法（通过使用纳米技术），使PVC更稳定，从而减少降解并消除对有毒稳定剂的需求。这也使得PVC的回收变得更加容易。我们的另一个研究目标是减少PVC生产过程中的能源消耗。大多数PVC是通过一种液体化学品（称为氯乙烯）的液滴悬浮在水中的过程制成的。在控制的温度下，可以使氯乙烯反应以产生PVC颗粒。然后必须干燥PVC颗粒以除去水，并且该干燥过程消耗大量能量。我们建议开发一种使用水以外的溶剂制造PVC的工艺，因此在生产过程中可以节省大量能源。此外，还可以减少CO2的排放量，从而实现政府制定的减少工业生产过程中CO2排放的目标。为了支持这项工作，我们建议开发新的软件，以研究PVC从资源开采（摇篮）到废物处理（坟墓）的生命周期的各个阶段对环境的影响。

PVC is a uniquely versatile polymer that is used in a large range of applications in many industry sectors. Applications range from water pipes, window frames, guttering and skirting boards to credit cards, food packaging, medical tubing and blood storage bags. However, there have been various concerns over the negative environmental and social (particularly health) impacts of PVC for many years. The aim of this research is to make PVC a more environmentally friendly material. This will be done by addressing ways of improving the environmental footprint of PVC during its production, use and disposal.One particular problem with PVC is that it easily degrades to give off hydrogen chloride (HCI) gas when it is heated. This gas is both toxic and corrosive. Before PVC granules can be heated up and melted to make products (such as window frames) it is necessary to add stabilisers to prevent degradation. Some of the compounds that have traditionally been added to stabilise PVC are themselves toxic - such as various compounds of heavy metals (eg lead). In our research we aim to find new ways of dispersing non-toxic additives much more efficiently (by the use of nanotechnology) to make PVC more stable, thus reducing degradation and eliminating the need for toxic stabilisers. This should also make it easier to recycle PVC. We also aim to use nanotechnology to distribute clay particles in flexible PVC to reduce migration of plasticiser.Another target for our research is to reduce the energy consumed during the production of PVC. Most PVC is made by a process during which droplets of a liquid chemical (called vinyl chloride) are suspended in water. At controlled temperature the vinyl chloride can be made to react to produce granules of PVC. The PVC granules then have to be dried to remove the water and this drying process consumes a lot of energy. We propose to develop a process for making PVC using a solvent other than water, which should therefore save a lot of energy during the production process. This will also have the effect of reducing CO2 emissions, thereby helping the government to achieve its target of reduction of CO2 from industrial processes.To underpin all this work, we propose to develop new software to examine the impacts of PVC on the environment during all stages of its life-cycle from extraction of resources (cradle) to disposal of waste (grave).