PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ETHYLENE DICHLORIDE (EDC)

Process for the manufacture of EDC or Ethylene Di-Chloride by chlorination and/or oxychlorination of ethylene, said process comprising the purification of an EDC stream according to the following steps : - eventually removing the lower boiling impurities from the EDC stream so as to generate a stream of EDC substantially free from lower boiling impurities ; - feeding this EDC stream to a heavy ends distillation column so as to get a top stream of substantially pure EDC and a bottom stream comprising higher boiling impurities and EDC, wherein the EDC stream fed to the heavy ends distillation column is at least partly heated up by a heater using waste heat available in the EDC manufacturing process itself or in a subsequent pyrolysis step of said EDC into vinyl chloride monomer or VCM or in an oxychlorination unit of ethylene to EDC.