What is Vinyl Chloride Monomer Recovery?
Vinyl chlorine monomer is a dangerous and hazardous chemical used in a wide range of processes. It’s often produced from the processing of ethylene dichloride. It can react rapidly due to exposure to heat, moisture, air, light, and catalysts such as copper and aluminum. Liquid VCM easily evaporates, but as a gas mixed with air, it is a fire and explosion hazard.
As a result, recovery needs to be done through a well-designed and established vacuum system.
Vinyl chloride is primarily used in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production, a thermoplastic with a large global demand for various applications. During the manufacturing process of VCM and PVC, gas vent emissions are of serious concern. This is due to them being a known human carcinogen. As such, vent emissions must be strictly controlled.
In the monomer recovery system, unreacted vinyl chloride is transferred into a holding tank. The vacuum system scavenges gas out of the PVC and delivers it to the compressor at or near atmospheric pressure. A single-stage compressor system then compresses the gas for condensation and storage as a pressurized liquid.
By providing custom-packaged solutions, NASH can guarantee safe handling and reliable performance in the recovery of vinyl chloride monomers.