Removal of VCM from PVC slurry using a pilot stripper column: a preliminary study

R. F. Silva1, L. M. Nelson. de Gis1, L. N. Horiuchi2 1 Federal University of Bahia(UFBA), Polytechnic School, Masters in Chemical Engineering. Aristides Novis Street, n. 02 Federao, Salvador, Brazil; Tel.: +557199664876, e-mail: rodrigoengquimico@yahoo.com.br, lmario@ufba.br 2 Braskem S/A , Camaari, Brazil; e-mail: lucas.horiuchi@braskem.com.br Poly(vinyl chloride)(PVC) whose monomer is vinyl chloride (CH2=CHCl)(VCM), is a major commercial polymer and is widely used as a raw material in various chemical and petrochemical products. About 300 million tons of PVC are produced per year all over the world.1 It is a excellent material to produce both rigid and flexible parts. PVC resins are made commercially by some processes, like the suspension , emulsion, mass and solution process. The convertion in the suspension process is about 83 to 90% so, is required to remove VCM from PVC resin. Moreover, vinyl chloride is a cancer causing agent.2 Continuous stripping is a standard method to produce resins with low levels of VCM and it is adopted by major manufacturers of PVC. Our goals were to study the removal of VCM from PVC slurry using a pilot stripper column and to monitor the polymer degradation. Moreover, a modeling and simulation study was carried out. In the steam-stripping column(plates column - dual flow), PVC slurry(L0) was fed at the top while the steam(G0) was fed at the botton, as shows the Figure 1. The experiments was carried out according to a factorial design 22 with central point, where the two independent variables were PVC slurry and steam flows. Through gas chromatography and colorimetry, was possible to quantify the influence of two variables described before on the removal of VCM and polymer degration.

Figure 1-.Schematic of plate stripping column

The size, bulk density and porosity of the PVC resin was measured. Furthermore, the software Statistic 7.0 was used to provide the results like effects, ANOVA table, graphics, and so on. The tests have showed that as lower the steam and PVC slurry flows were, greater the removal of VCM without polymer degradation, within the range of flow studied. The simulation results have showed excellent agreement with experimental data. Response surface methodology have given us the path of the best operations condictions. Preliminary results were very satisfatory but, it is necessary to extend the experiments, according to operations limits, to possibility a new empirical model involving other independent variables such as feed temperature of PVC slurry and operating pressure of the column, for instance, to improve the description of phenomena of removal of VCM and polymer degradation. References 1.M. Kang, S. Kang, and S. Park., Ind.Eng. Chem. Res., 45; 5729-5737; (2006). 2. C. B. Patel, et al., Pol. J.,11;43-51; (1979).