Traditionally, perchloroethylene was produced by reacting acetylene with chlorine via trichloroethylene as an intermediate but acetylene has now been replaced by a variety of feedstocks such ethylene dichloride (EDC), C1-C3 hydrocarbons or chlorinated hydrocarbon wastes. The decline in demand for carbon tetrachloride and CFCs has also led to the switch of processes.
The oxychlorination of EDC is favoured by some producers because of the easy availability of feedstock, the high selectivity and yield of the process and the small amounts of hydrogen chloride by-product. Produced by the chlorination of ethylene, EDC is fed with chlorine and oxygen into a fluidised bed containing a catalyst. The feed is cracked at 420-440oC under slight pressure to produce a mixture of trichloroethylene and perchlorethylene, the ratio of which can be varied by altering the chlorine:EDC ratio.
It can also be made by reacting chlorine with C1-C3 hydrocarbons, with ethane being the most favoured, or from chlorinated hydrocarbon wastes in a tubular or fluidised bed reactor. Increasing environmental pressures on the disposal of wastes containing chlorine have made this a growing source of perchloroethylene. The process can be carried out by high temperature chlorination, and low pressure and high pressure chlorinolysis. The low pressure route is the most popular as it facilitates the purification of the HCl formed.
Perchloroethylene
Price Reports
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Perchloroethylene
Uses and Outlook
A major outlet for perchloroethylene (perc, also called tetrachloroethylene) is as a chemical intermediate, particularly as the basic raw material in the manufacture of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) 134a, an alternative to chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants. It is also used in the synthesis of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) 123 and 124 and HFC 125.
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