Polymer production volume

Although PVC is second only to polyethene in terms of polymer production volumes, recycling is not widespread this is attributable to the long-term nature of its major applications in the construction industry, e.g. pipes and window frames. A potentially valuable source of PVC in municipal waste is the water bottle (especially in areas of high bottled water consumption like France). PVC has found widespread use in this application since it does not taint the water. 

Ethylene is the most important intermediate in the chemical industry. The production volume was about 120 metric tonnes/year in 2007 and is expected to increase to approximately 180 metric tonnes/year by 2020 [1]. The main outlet for ethylene, roughly 60%, is used for polyethylene, followed by ethylene oxide, vinyl chloride and styrene. Ethylene oxide is a key material in the production of surfactants and detergents. It is mainly converted to ethylene glycol which ends up in, for example, polyethylene tereph-thalate and glycol ether solvents. Vinyl chloride and styrene are almost exclusively used to produce polyvinyl chloride and polystyrene, respectively. Ethylene is an intermediate for more than 50% of the polymer production volume. 

Polymer Gasoline. Refinery trends tend to favor alkylation over polymerisation. Unlike the alkylation process, polymerisation does not require isobutane. The catalyst is usually phosphoric acid impregnated on kieselghur pellets. Polymerisation of butylenes is not an attractive alternative to alkylation unless isobutane is unavailable. The motor octane number of polymer gasoline is also low, and there is considerable shrinkage ia product volume. The only commercial unit to be built ia recent years is at Sasol ia South Africa. The commercial process was developed by UOP ia the 1940s (104). 

Volume 8 Report 111 Polymer Product Failure, RR. Lewis, The Open University. 

VOLUME DISTRIBUTION OF POLYMERS AND PLASTICS (Production Volume >1,000,000 Lbs/Yr)... 

The major substances with production volumes in millions of pounds per year for organics, inorganics, polymers and plastics and primary derivatives of petroleum are noted in Tables VII, VIII, IX and X. 

Bisphenol-A (BPA) or 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane is one of the highest volume chemicals produced worldwide, with a production volume of approximately 3.8 million tons in 2006 [199]. BPA is mainly used as monomer in the production of polycarbonate and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate is a transparent polymer with a high impact resistance which can be used in different consumer goods such as reusable drinking bottles and food containers. Epoxy resins on the other hand are used as inner coating of food and drink cans. Release and exposure of... 

Because of this new application 1,3-PD has evolved from a fine to a bulk polymer in only a few years. The production volume in the year 2000 was estimated to be around 70000-80000 t/a. According to a projection of the consulting company CONDUX (USA), the production volume of PTT will increase up to a level of 1 Mio. t/a in a few years. 

Despite the complex interaction between the components of a catalyst recipe, for example consisting of catalyst, co-catalyst, electron donors (internal and external), monomers, chain-transfer agents such as hydrogen, and inert gases and the catalyst support, the local polymer production rate rate (polymerization rate) in a given volume, Rp (kg polymer hr"1), can often be described by a first-order kinetic equation with respect to the local monomer concentration near the active site, cm (kgm"3), and is first order to the mass of active sites ( catalyst ) in that volume, m (kg) ... 

With so many chemicals in existence, the USEPA has had to set priorities for testing chemicals. First, low-volume chemicals, which are produced or imported at a rate of less than 10,000 pounds per year, were excluded. Approximately 25,000 chemicals are in this category. Second, polymers, which typically are not toxic, were dropped from the list, which left approximately 15,000 nonpolymer chemicals produced or imported in quantities from 10,000 pounds per year up to 1 million pounds per year. As a result, the USEPA has focused its testing on the 3000 to 4000 high-production-volume (HPV) and nonpolymer chemicals (USEPA, 1998b). 

The value of polymer-based products produced in the United States by polymer (resin) manufacturers was 90 billion. This industry is characterized by a relatively small number of very large enterprises, which are either chemical companies, for which polymer production is a very sizable activity (e.g., The Dow Chemical Company), or petrochemical companies, for which, in spite of the immense volume of polymers produced, polymer production is a relatively minor activity and part of vertically integrated operations (e.g., ExxonMobil Corporation). 

Bipolar plates are currently made from milled graphite or gold-coated stainless steel. Ongoing research is aiming to replace these materials with polymers or low-cost steel alloys, which will allow the use of low-cost production techniques. Even today, bipolar plates can be produced at 200 /kW, if the production volume... 

Those synthetic organic chemicals (excluding polymers) having production volumes of greater than four billion pounds in 2000, according to the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) Chemical Economics Handbook, are listed below. Note that the production of 5 chemicals alone totaled more than 100 billion lb, and 15 totaled 190 billion lb/year. 

Essentially, then, no new, large-volume, highly profitable fibers have been developed since the mid-1950s. Instead, the existing ones have become commodities with all the economic impact thereby implied. No major chemical engineering processes have been added, although the previously described ones have been modified to allow for spinning of liquid crystalline polymers or the formation of gel spun fibers. Research activity has been reduced and centered essentially on modifications of fiber size, shape, and properties, and many variants now are successfully marketed. Production volumes have increased enormously for nylon, polyester, and polyolefin. 

The procedures used in polymer product isolation and evaluation were the same as presented earlier (13). Basically, the dried polymers were extracted with a 50 50 by volume mixture of hexane and isopropyl alcohol to remove low molecular-weight material, herein called extractables. Physical properties such as inherent viscosity, % gel, and polymer microstructure were determined on the solid polyisoprene residue. 

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