Perchloroethylene is produced mainly by reacting hydrocarbons such as propane or propylene or chlorinated hydrocarbons with chlorine. The by-product of these reactions is hydrochloric acid (HCl). Another process for the production of perchloroethylene involves the oxychlorination of ethylene dichloride (EDC), which also produces trichloroethylene. This method avoids HCl by-product. In this production method, vaporized chlorinated organics are mixed with HCl and oxygen inside a catalytic fluidized bed reactor, where a series of chlorination and thermal cracking reactions occur. The resulting product is a blend of trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene, which is separated by distillation. Perchloroethylene is further purified by distillation and stabilized to prevent oxidation.
There are several different end uses for perchloroethylene. The major use is for the production of fluorinated compounds and fluorinated intermediates. Perchloroethylene is used as a chemical intermediate in the production of several fluorinated compounds for which the main end use is refrigerants.
