Ordos Electric Power Metallurgy Group Co, in the city of Ordos in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, recently realized the mercury-free production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

PVC is one of the five general-purpose plastics, and China is its largest producer. 

Due to China's special "rich in coal, poor in oil, and low in gas" energy structure, the PVC industry here is dominated by calcium carbide processes, which require the use of mercury-containing catalysts.

In order to continuously reduce environmental pollution and health hazards caused by the use of mercury, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which came into effect globally in 2017, puts forward binding requirements for production processes that require mercury.

The total investment in this new technology was 500 million yuan ($74.63 million), and it took seven years to complete research, development and application procedures.

Compared with the low-mercury catalytic technology, this new technology completely replaces the traditional dependence on mercury in the chemical reaction process. It avoids the generation of high-risk waste, and also realizes green and environmentally-friendly production.

It makes Ordos Electric Power Metallurgy Group Co the first chlor-alkali chemical enterprise in the country, and even in the world, to truly adhere to the international Minamata Convention on Mercury.

It is understood that Ordos Electric Power Metallurgy Group Co will have an annual production capacity of about 550,000 metric tons of green mercury-free PVC. The next step for the company is to increase the added value of green mercury-free products.