Neutralization of Glass/Poly-Vinyl Chloride (PVC) Mixture by Wet Co-Milling

A lab-scale wet jet mill was prototyped to investigate whether dechlorination of PVC can be achieved in hot water using Na from glass as a counterion. Experiments were conducted to observe the elution amounts of sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) when glass and PVC were co-ground, and the elution mechanism was examined. The results led to the following conclusions: (1) The amount of Na eluted from the glass increased as grinding progressed; higher grinding intensity led to greater Na elution. (2) For PVC, granulation occurred instead of grinding at low grinding intensities. However, when coexisting with glass at temperatures above 200°C, Cl elution occurred without grinding. This reaction is considered to be the result of a mechanochemical interaction with the glass, causing Cl to elute near the surface of the PVC particles. At higher grinding intensities, both grinding and granulation occurred simultaneously, and Cl eluted from the newly formed surfaces created by the grinding process.