INEOS Films 1Specialties Business PVC and the Environment Let’s put the record straight!

INEOS Films 1 Specialties Business

PVC and the Environment

Let’s put the record straight!


Opinions of PVC

1. PVC is dangerous – it is produced from noxious chlorine

2. PVC is dangerous to manufacture

3. PVC is unsafe to use

4. PVC is difficult to dispose of

5. PVC cannot be recycled

6. PVC burdens the incinerator

7. PVC production causes dioxin emission

8. PVC is a waste of oil and other resources

9. PVC productions waste energy

10. PVC has a major share in the “Greenhouse Effect“


PVC is not dangerous because it contains chlorine

Chlorine is one of the most common naturally occurring elements

Literally millions of tonnes of organo-chlorine compounds are produced each year in nature

Chlorine is used for life-saving medicines and essential water treatments to protect people against deadly bacteria, germs and diseases

Life itself could not exist without chlorine chemistry


PVC is not dangerous because it contains chlorine

Prof. J.Gordon Edwards, Professor of Biology and Entomology at San Jose University, USA, November 1997.

“A world without chlorine would resemble a science-fiction scene of the worst kind - where surgeons operate without sutures and doctors treat intensive-care patients without IV tubes or oxygen tents. Instead of turning the public’s attention - as well as precious time and resources - to the fictitious threat of table salt, groups like Greenpeace should spend their time tackling the real monsters of our world today - such as AIDS, cancer, hunger and violence”


PVC is not dangerous to manufacture

Occupational exposure problems with Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) were identified and solved by the industry 30 years ago

Emissions from VCM and PVC manufacturing plants are tightly controlled within safe regulatory limits


PVC is not dangerous to manufacture

Claims that PVC factories emit significant amounts of dioxins are untrue

INEOS is a signatory to the EVCM Charter for the manufacture of PVC and VCM which commits manufacturers to meet environmental standards in PVC and VCM production and voluntarily goes beyond regulatory requirements


PVC is safe to use

The use of PVC and its additives in food contact, drinking water and medical applications are extremely regulated

PVC is used in many life-saving applications

PVC is used in many safety-critical applications

PVC is used in many applications where hygiene considerations are paramount


PVC is safe to use

Stabilisers used in PVC formulations are integrated in the polymer matrix and represent no danger to public or environmental health

PVC has excellent fire protection properties. It is difficult to ignite and inherently fire retardant

When PVC does burn, the combustion products are relatively less toxic than combustion products from many other natural and synthetic materials


PVC is safe to use

Health authorities world wide have rated PVC films as being harmless and as a result they are used in fields such as food packaging and medical equipment.

PVC pipes have been employed trouble-free for the transportation of our drinking and industrial water as well as for chemicals for over 50 years now. In contrast to other materials, PVC pipes are not attacked by aggressive soils.

Building materials (guttering, window frames and facade covering) have a life expectancy of at least 20 years with a minimum of maintenance.


PVC is safe to use

PVC has been mass-produced and utilised for more than 60 years now

PVC has been thoroughly researched and continuously improved

There has been more positive knowledge gathered from studies and long-term testing of PVC than about other plastic

The amount of dioxin released during PVC manufacturing is tightly regulated and the overall amount of dioxin releases is insignificant compared to other dioxin sources


PVC is safe to use

Rigid PVC Films from INEOS :

Contain no phthalates

Contain no cadmium or lead stabilisers

Are physiologically safe

Are approved for packaging applications by the German Bundesgesundheitsamt (Federal Health Office)

PVC does not contain dioxin!


PVC is safe to use

“As far as I am aware, no member of the public has ever been harmed by PVC, and many people owe their lives to it. It is time we learned to live in peace with a rather wonderful plastic.”

Dr. John Emsley, writer of the award -winning ‘Consumer’s Good Chemical Guide’,UK, 1994.

“The only way you could harm anyone with PVC is to hit them over the head with a large piece of it“

Prof. Michael Gallagher, Professor of Chemistry at the University of New South Wales, Australia, January 1996.

“PVC is perfectly safe and this is why it is used for bottles for mineral water, bags for blood transfusions, and fine bore tubing that is inserted into premature babies.

DTI, Chemicals and Biotechnology Division, Technology Foresight Document, UK Government, March 1996.


PVC waste is safely managed

“Based on current knowledge, the National EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has concluded that the methods used today for the management of PVC waste, namely landfill disposal and incineration for energy recovery, can continue to be accepted from an environmental viewpoint.”“It is acceptable from a health and environmental viewpoint to re-use products, or process and re-use products, made of recycled PVC...”

Swedish EPA, June 1996.



PVC applications typically have a long life-cycle which reduces the need for product replacement and waste

Virtually all manufacturing waste and a large proportion of installation waste are already being recycled

Post-use recycling schemes are operating for major PVC product applications

Post-use PVC products “Made in Germany” are perfectly safe. They have a completely neutral affect on the environment.



There are 2 main methods of disposal :

Recycling

Combustion

As well in the landfill, PVC still plays an important role.


PVC recycling

Mechanical recycling:

The mechanical recycling process is preferred when the different types of products in the waste stream can be easily separated and sorted. After extracting other substances, the sorted PVC products are ground and cleaned for reprocessing into new products. Today, PVC products such as bottles, pipes, windows, cables and flooring are being successfully recycled.

e.g. in Behringen/Thüringen and Rahden, Westfalen Germany


PVC recycling

Feedstock recycling:

Feedstock recycling is the chosen option when mixtures of plastics or multi-material products cannot be economically separated into pure streams. In this process, polymers, including PVC, are thermally broken down into their chemical raw materials which can then be purified and recycled as feed stocks to petrochemical or polymers production plants.(PVC thermo splitting)


PVC in the landfill

PVC helps to form a safe, stable landfill. All the evidence shows that the PVC polymer itself does not degrade and that its additives do not produce harmful gas or leach ate concentrations. PVC products made in Germany have a completely neutral affect on the environment.

PVC films are even used to seal tips in order to avoid contamination of natural water sources.


Incineration of PVC

The energy potential of PVC in an incinerator is much higher than the energy potential of coal

Burning temperatures, cooling temperatures and rates are critical for the reduction of toxic gases within the incinerator

PVC is not decisive for the production of dioxin in the waste

PVC has no influence on the production of dioxin during the combustion of garbage



Extensive studies in several countries have all concluded, that the removal of PVC from the waste stream has no effect on the amount of dioxins produced when waste is incinerated

The contribution of all acid gases from the burning of PVC is less than 0.25%


Incineration of PVC

Only 50% of the proportion of HCl arising in an incinerator is caused by PVC. The other 50% is caused by chlorine contained in paper, food, plant fibres etc. The HCl is neutralised and the arising calcium chloride (salt) is reused.

Emission controls to prevent acid gas emission from the waste incinerators are required, even if no PVC is in the waste stream


Incineration of PVC – Salt Cycle

By adding water during the flue gas washing, HCl arises. This HCl is purified and neutralised by the suspension of calcium hydroxide in the water. This creates salt again which is used by the chemical industry again


Incineration of PVC – CO2 Emission

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

kg/CO2

PS

PE

PP

PET

Paper

PVC

PS, PE, PP and PET have a remarkable higher CO2 emission rate during the incineration than PVC. ( the salt does not burn). PVC therefore helps to reduce the CO2 emission.


Fire behaviour

PVC is self-extinguishing if the flame is taken away. It only burns with other materials

PS, PP and PET are easily inflammable. PS drops when burning

PVC has no special position in terms of toxic fire gases.


Dioxin Emission

“Many countries have found metal production and manufacturing, historical use of chlorinated phenols, and incineration in poor combustors to be important dioxin sources, not PVC. Additionally, my group has shown natural formation of dioxins in compost, sewage sludge, and sediments can also play an important role.”

Prof. Christoffer Rappe, Professor of Environmental Chemistry, Umea University, Sweden, July 1997.


Dioxin emissions

Dioxin emissions from the UK’s largest VCM and PVC manufacturing facility <0.05g TEQ* p.a. rate

Dioxin emissions from engines of Deep Sea Tug (of the type favoured by some environmental NGOs) 0.07g TEQ* p.a. rate (source: TNO study)

*TEQ = Toxic Equivalent


TEQ Method

TEQ Method

Toxic Equivalents, or TEQs, are used to report the toxicity-weighted masses of mixtures of PCDD/Fs. The TEQ method of dioxin reporting is more meaningful than simply reporting the total number of grams of a mixture of variously toxic compounds because the TEQ method offers toxicity information about the mixture.


Dioxin emissions

Dioxin emissions of the industry is strictly regulated:

The highest Dioxin concentration allowed from industrial discharges is 0.1ng/cubic metre of emission.

The Dioxin concentration in the vicinity of a standard BBQ cooking meat has been measured as 0.7ng/cubic metre i.e. 7 times the industrial concentration limit. (Robin des Bois, France, 2003)

The PVC industry makes an insignificant and reducing contribution to total dioxin emissions

The PVC industry continues to deliver improvements in the efficiency of its manufacturing processes. Emissions from PVC manufacturing represent less than 0.05% of the total material processed.


PVC does not waste resources

Feedstock resources for PVC: 57% of the Molecular Weight (MW) of PVC is

chlorine derived from salt: 50 Quadrillion T of dissolved salt are in the

world’s seas - enough to put a layer around the world 45 metres thick

200 Billion T of salt deposits underground

The remainder of the MW is from hydrocarbon feedstocks: Ethylene from oil (equivalent to circa 0.3% of

annual oil use) Ethylene from sugar crops is also used for PVC

production.

Advantages of salt abundance & low reliance on hydrocarbon resources.


PVC does not waste resources

PVC contains 43% crude oil and 57% salt

PET, PP and PS are 100% based on crude oil

Quantity of oil needed to produce 1 kg:

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

PET1,9 kgPS

1,3 kgPVC0,5 kg


PVC productions is not energy consuming

Energy needed to produce 1 kg of:

PVC 56.50 MJ

PP 70.00 MJ

PET 83.81 MJ

GPPS 86.28 MJ (general purpose PS)

HIPS 90.74 MJ (high impact PS)



56,5

83,81 86,2890,74

70

0

20

40

60

80

100

PVC PET GPPS HIPS PP

Energy needed to produce 1 kg:

MJ/kg



Non renewable primary energy in MJ/kg polymer granulate

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

AB

S

EP

DM

MD

I

NB

R

PF

Ha

rz

PA

N

PA

6.6 PB

PC

PE

I

PE

HD

PE

T

PM

MA

PO

M

PP

PS

PT

FE

PV

AL

S-P

VC

SB

R

SB

S

Source: Software GaBi 4 Database – PE Europe


PVC is not energy consuming

4% PVC 96% water

37% glass 63% water

By using PVC bottles, 60% more product is delivered, 80% less packaging and 40% less petrol are needed.


Emission – Greenhouse Effect

The emission during production of 1 kg of:

PVC GPPS HIPS PET

mg CO2 2,000,000 2,600,000 2,800,000 2,330,000

mg SOx 8,200 11,000 12,000 25,000

mg NOx 9,600 12,600 12,000 20,200

mg HCl150 26 35 110



PVC manufacture uses less energy than other plastics (including bio plastics). Carbon Dioxide emissions associated with PVC manufacture are correspondingly low.

We could always look into the possibility of making PVC products CARBON NEUTRAL by investing in carbon offset, of course there will be additional costs but this could well provide a “conscience free” substrate

The CO2 emission of a human being is 300 kg p.a.


Conclusion

The PVC industry has developed a good knowledge of sustainability. PVC has many economic, social and environmental sustainability advantages as compared to competing materials, however there is still more we can do. The PVC industry has invested heavily in sustainable development and the Vinyl 2010 programme is receiving recognition. Some competing materials claim environmental and sustainability advantages over PVC – this is usually based either on myths about the environmental impact of PVC or unjustifiably biased opinions about the competing materials.

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INEOS Films 1Specialties Business PVC and the Environment Let’s put the record straight!