PVC (PVC)
Also known as: Polyvinyl Chloride · polyvinyl chloride · vinyl plastic · chlorinated plastic
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is a chlorinated thermoplastic polymer widely used in cable insulation, pipes, and window profiles. In recycling, PVC is a contaminant of concern — its chlorine content causes release of corrosive hydrochloric acid and toxic dioxins when incinerated or processed at high te
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What is PVC?
PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride, a thermoplastic polymer in which roughly 57% of the molecular mass is chlorine. PVC is the third most-produced plastic globally and appears across Indian e-waste in cable insulation, computer housing trim, refrigerator door seals, washing-machine hoses, and the outer jacketing of almost every flexible electrical wire. In plastic recycling lines, PVC is treated less as a recyclable resin and more as a contaminant that must be excluded.
The chlorine problem: When PVC is heated above 200-250 degC during melt extrusion, granulation, or unintended high-friction shredding, the polymer dehydrochlorinates and releases hydrogen chloride gas. Hydrogen chloride immediately corrodes steel screws, dies, and process pipework, shortening extruder service life from several years to a few months. In an open or uncontrolled thermal process — burning cable insulation to recover copper, for instance — incomplete combustion produces polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, among the most toxic synthetic compounds known. India has tightened restrictions on cable-burning under the Hazardous and Other Wastes Rules, 2016.
Identification and separation: Modern recycling lines exclude PVC using a near-infrared (NIR) sorter that recognises its distinct spectral fingerprint at roughly 1,720 nm and 2,300 nm. A second-pass X-ray fluorescence (XRF) check detects residual chlorine above 200 ppm — the typical threshold for PVC contamination in PET or PE bales. Manual sorters use a hot-needle test: a heated copper wire pressed onto suspect plastic, then held in a flame; PVC produces a bright green copper-chloride flame.
Downstream routes: Clean post-industrial PVC (window-profile offcuts, cable jacketing from a single source) is mechanically recycled into floor tiles, garden hose, and shoe soles. Mixed e-waste PVC has very limited recycling value in India and is typically routed to a TSDF or used as a chlorine source in cement-kiln co-processing under tight feed-rate controls to manage dioxin emissions.
PVC across recycling sectors
How this plays out in practice, sector by sector.
In India's e-waste recycling sector, cable PVC is the most commonly encountered form. Authorised recyclers use mechanical cable stripping machines (cable granulators) to separate copper from PVC insulation without burning. The separated PVC jacket material is then sold to PVC recyclers for reprocessing into lower-grade applications. For plastic recycling lines handling mixed post-consumer plastic, PVC detection and removal is a critical quality step — NIR-based sorters with PVC-ejection logic are specifically programmed to reject PVC before PET or PE streams enter the wash and granulation lines.
Common questions about PVC
Plain-English answers to what people most often ask.
What is the full form of PVC?
Why is PVC dangerous in e-waste burning?
Can PVC be recycled?
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