Polyvinyl Chloride PVC
PVC: Formosa, OPC, EPC and Taio
Polyvinyl chloride more correctly but unusually poly(vinyl chloride), commonly abbreviated PVC, is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic plastic polymer, after polyethylene and polypropylene. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is a major plastics material which finds widespread use in building, transport, packaging, electrical/electronic and healthcare applications. PVC is a very durable and long-lasting construction material which can be used in a variety of applications, rigid or flexible, white or black and a wide range of colours in between. Due to its very nature, PVC is used widely in many industries and provides very many popular and necessary products. Unlike other thermoplastics which are entirely derived from oil, PVC is manufactured from two starting materials; PVC is manufactured from two starting materials: -
- 57% of the molecular weight derived from common salt
- 43% derived from hyrdocarbon feedstocks (increasingly ethylene from sugar crops is also being used for PVC production as an alternative to ethylene from oil or natural gas)
Typical applications of PVC include; window frames, drainage pipe, water service pipe, medical devices, blood storage bags, cable and wire insulation, resilient flooring, roofing membranes, stationary, automotive interiors and seat coverings, fashion and footwear, packaging, cling film, credit cards, vinyl records, synthetic leather and other coated fabrics.