Vinyl chlorine monomer (‘VCM’) is the primary raw material used in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride (‘PVC’) resins and is produced by the reaction of ethylene and chlorine, which produces EDC that is then transformed into VCM by thermal cracking. PVC resin is then formed by the polymerization of VCM. PVC is made as two main product types, each subdivided into a range of grades to meet the requirements of specific applications. PVC is produced according to two types of polymerisation techniques: suspension PVC and emulsion PVC.
General purpose PVC includes resins produced for general applications through suspension technology and represents the largest proportion of worldwide volumes produced. Specialty PVC comprises resins produced via emulsion polymerisation (including micro suspension, mini-emulsion, seeded emulsion, latex and nano-emulsion).
PVC is used in a variety of applications in the building and construction, health care, electronics, automobile and other sectors, in products ranging from piping and siding, blood bags and tubing, to wire and cable insulation, windshield system components and more.