| | PVC (polyvinyl-chloride) is the most important among all polymers. Its part in the German chlorine production amounts to about one quarter. It has been produced for more than 55 years. The advantages of PVC are its stability as a material and its extremely good resistance against weather for example. It does not corrode, is hardly flammable and does not de-polymerize. Yet, the formation of dioxines during combustion is an extreme disadvantage. Nowadays, PVC is mostly used in construction, medicine (in instruments, not drugs) and packaging. There is a difference made between hard PVC, used in pipes, profiles for windows and borders (ratio of PVC: 77-89%) and soft PVC, which is used in insulation, tubes, floors and edge protection profiles (ratio of PVC: 44-61%). |
