PVC Degradation and Stabilization, Fifth Edition includes new developments in PVC production, new stabilization methods and mechanisms, new approaches to plasticization, methods of waste reprocessing, and much more. The book contains all the information necessary for the successful design of stabilization formulas in any PVC-based product. Other topics covered include degradation by thermal energy, UV, gamma, and other forms of radiation, chemical degradation, and more. Analytical methods for studying degradative and stabilization processes aid readers in establishing a system for verifying results of stabilization with different stabilizing systems. Many new topics included in this edition are of particular interest today, including new developments in PVC production yielding a range of new grades, new stabilization methods and mechanisms (e.g. synergistic mixtures containing hydrotalcites and their synthetic equivalents, beta-diketones, functionalized fillers, Shiff bases), new approaches to plasticization, methods of waste reprocessing (life cycle assessment, reformulation, biodegradable materials, and energy recovery), accelerated degradation due to electric breakdown, and many more.