Environmentally-friendly organochlorine waste processing and recycling

• Compound processing of organochlorine wastes into products is presented.
• Repeated chlorination and alkaline dehydrochlorination.
• Copolymerization with unsaturated C5–C9 fraction.
• Polycondensation with sulfide-containing wastes.
• As a result, the amount of byproducts, currently burned, is reduced by 80–90%.

Due to environmental concerns, there is a need to enhance conversion to product and to prevent generation of wasteful byproducts and loss of organochlorine compounds in chemical production processes. The paper focuses on making vinyl chloride monomer production more efficient, and on possible ways of industrial organochlorine waste recycling. Environmentally-friendly processing and recycling methods of organochlorine waste are considered. Typical waste products are 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, vinylidene chloride, and vinyl chloride monomer. Polymerization and copolymerization of typical waste with and without the C5–C9 fraction resulted in non-toxic polymer products that can be used in the construction industry. The possibility of joint chlorine and sulfide-containing chemical waste recycling into polysulfide oligomeric products (Thiokol) is discussed. This comprehensive recycling allows utilizing 80–90% of all waste, generated during synthesis of chlorinated products. The results of this study aim to improve vinyl chloride monomer yield and minimize the formation of organochlorine waste by processing and recycling of byproducts into useful products, including vinyl chloride monomers, vinylidene chloride, and other oligomers and polymers.

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