A Joint Computer-Aided Simulation and Water-Energy-Product (WEP) Approach for Technical Evaluation of PVC Production

Recently, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has emerged as one of the most widely used polymers on the planet due to its versatile mechanical properties and chemical resistance. Suspension polymerization is the most employed method for its production, owing to its ability to control polymer characteristics and cost-effectiveness. However, issues such as water and energy consumption and management in the process have sparked interest in researching the performance and sustainability of the process. In this study, an approach for the technical evaluation of the PVC production process by suspension is proposed, using 11 indicators related to Water, Energy and Product (WEP), based on technical parameters and process simulation for the diagnosis of the process, framed under sustainability criteria. The simulation included the purification and drying stages of the polymer, along with a monomer recirculation stage. The properties of PVC obtained through the process simulation were over 90% accurate when compared to the literature. The technical analysis found that the process has high performance in the handling of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) and PVC, with a production yield of 99% and an index of reused unconverted material of 99%. On the other hand, there are opportunities for improvement in the process, related to water usage management, since the indicator of wastewater production was 80% and the fractional water consumption was 1.8 m3/t. Regarding energy use, the process exhibits high consumption and an energy-specific intensity of 4682 MJ/t of PVC, but it has a low overall cost due to the use of natural gas in some stages of the process.