Degradation of Coals and Chars from Poly(vinyl chloride) with a Mixture of Copper(II) Oxide and Aqueous Potassium Carbonate.

Degradation of coals and chars from poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and mixtures of PVC with other polymers such as polyethylene glycol, poly(vinyl alcohol), polystyrene, and polyethylene using a mixture of copper(II) oxide (CuO) and aqueous potassium carbonate solution at 500 °C to give a mixture of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, potassium hydrogencarbonate, and water soluble and easily decomposable materials with dilute hydrochloric acid. It was revealed that CuO promoted the decomposition of highly aromatized materials such as chars from PVC or coals and the preferential formation of benzene in the decomposition of those materials.