Economic and Environmental Competitiveness of Ethane-Based Technologies for Vinyl Chloride Synthesis

The synthesis of the vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), employed to manufacture poly-(vinyl chloride) (PVC) plastic, primarily relies on oil-derived ethylene, resulting in high costs and carbon footprint. Natural gas-derived ethane in VCM synthesis has long been considered a transformative feedstock to lower emissions and expenses. In this work, we evaluate the environmental potential and economics of recently developed catalytic ethane chlorination technologies for VCM synthesis. We consider the ethylene-based business-as-usual (BAU) route and two different ethane-based processes evaluated at their current development level and their full potential, i.e., ideal conversion and selectivity. All routes are assessed under two temporal scenarios: present (2020) and prospective (2050). Combining process simulation and life cycle assessment (LCA), we find that catalytic ethane chlorination technologies can lower the production cost by 32% at their current development state and by 56% when considering their full potential. Though environmentally disadvantageous in the 2020 scenario, they emerge as more sustainable alternatives to the BAU in the 2050 scenario, reducing the carbon footprint of VCM synthesis by up to 26% at their current state and up to 58% at their full potential. Going beyond VCM synthesis, our results highlight prospective LCA as a powerful tool for assessing the true environmental implications of emerging technologies under more decarbonized future energy scenarios.

Automated summary

This study evaluates the environmental potential and economics of recently developed catalytic ethane chlorination technologies for VCM synthesis. It finds that the current state of these technologies can lower production costs by 32% and could reduce the carbon footprint of VCM synthesis by up to 26% in the 2050 scenario.