Chemical Recycling of Polyvinyl Chloride Waste
Summary
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is among the most widely produced plastics globally, yet its high chlorine content and additive complexity render mechanical recycling and conventional thermal treatments challenging. Chemical recycling addresses these issues by selectively removing chlorine and depolymerising the polymer chains to recover valuable feedstocks. Key approaches include dechlorination via hydrothermal, subcritical and supercritical water processes, catalytic pyrolysis, ionic-liquid-mediated dehydrochlorination and sequential two-stage treatments. These routes can yield hydrochloric acid or chloride salts for industrial reuse, monomeric or oligomeric hydrocarbon streams for repolymerisation or fuel blending, and carbon-rich solids (hydrochar) suitable for energy or material applications. Optimisation of reaction parameters—temperature, pressure, residence time and catalyst or alkali dosage—has driven efficiencies beyond 90 % chlorine removal under laboratory conditions. Collaborative efforts now focus on reactor design, corrosion mitigation and integrated separation technologies to advance pilot-scale validation. By closing the material loop and valorising both organic and inorganic fractions, chemical recycling of PVC waste contributes to circular-economy objectives and global waste-management strategies.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Chemical Recycling of Polyvinyl Chloride Waste publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in chemical recycling of polyvinyl chloride waste across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Dechlorination: Chemical removal of chlorine atoms from PVC polymer chains, typically yielding hydrogen chloride and dechlorinated hydrocarbons.
Dehydrochlorination: Elimination reaction in which hydrogen chloride is cleaved from the PVC backbone, leading to unsaturated carbon–carbon bonds.
Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL): Process using high-temperature, high-pressure water to convert organic waste into liquid hydrocarbons.
Subcritical water: Water maintained at high pressure and temperatures between 100 °C and 374 °C, enhancing its solvent and reaction properties.
Supercritical water: Water above its critical point (374 °C, 22 MPa) with unique solvation characteristics that facilitate rapid depolymerisation and dechlorination.
Feedstock recycling: Conversion of plastic waste into monomers or other chemical intermediates suitable for new polymer synthesis.
References
- A Brief Review of Poly(Vinyl Chloride) (PVC) Recycling. Polymers (2022).
- Understanding Hydrothermal Dechlorination of PVC by Focusing on the Operating Conditions and Hydrochar Characteristics. Applied Sciences (2017).
- Application of Subcritical Water to Dechlorinate Polyvinyl Chloride Electric Wires. Energies (2018).
- Dehydrochlorination of PVC in multi-layered blisterpacks using ionic liquids. Green Chemistry (2020).
- Degradation of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Waste with Supercritical Water. Processes (2022).
- Optimizing hydrothermal dechlorination of PVC in a SS-316 reactor: From chemistry knowledge to material considerations. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering (2023).
- Sequential hydrothermal dechlorination and liquefaction of PVC. Energy Conversion and Management (2024).
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.