Assessment of carbon emission potential of polyvinyl chloride plastics

¹ Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ocean University of China, Sanya 572000, China
² Qingdao Haibohe Waste Water Treatment Plant, Qingdao 266005, China

^* ylming888@sina.com

Abstract

Plastic pollution has become a global concern, and research has shown that carbon emissions during the lifecycle of plastics are rapidly consuming global carbon credits. This study focuses on the effective assessment of carbon emissions from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics using a life cycle assessment (LCA) method during the production and recycling stages. The greenhouse gas emission potential is evaluated using 1kg PVC plastic as a functional unit. Research has shown that the total carbon emissions during the production stage of PVC plastic are 7.83kg CO_2-eq. The carbon emissions during the production stage of hydrochloric acid, acetylene, electricity, and water vapor are 2.340 kg CO_2-eq, 4.900 kg CO_2-eq, 0.117 kg CO_2-eq, and 0.468 kg CO_2-eq, respectively. During the recycling phase, the carbon emissions from the power consumption zone are 0.184 kg CO_2-eq, followed by 0.156 kg CO_2-eq from natural gas. Research has shown that fossil materials contribute the largest carbon emissions during the production stage of PVC plastics. Therefore, how to effectively reduce the use of fossil fuels or seek alternative raw materials can effectively reduce carbon emissions.