Process for the preparation of vinyl chloride

1. A process for the production of vinyl chloride, comprising:

passing a feed stream comprising ethylene dichloride over a catalyst system comprising a dehydrochlorination catalyst and a hydrochlorination catalyst at a reaction temperature and reaction pressure sufficient to effect dehydrochlorination of the ethylene dichloride to produce vinyl chloride,

wherein the feed stream contains essentially no hydrogen,

wherein the dehydrochlorination catalyst comprises a supported noble metal catalyst that comprises at least one of platinum, palladium, ruthenium, and rhodium, and

wherein the hydrochlorination catalyst comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of gold, mercury, palladium, silver, ruthenium, iridium, platinum, rhodium, copper, bismuth, tin, zirconium, antimony, lead, and compounds thereof.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the reaction temperature is in the range of from 150° C. to 350° C.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the reaction pressure is in the range of from 0 to 55 bar G.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein acetylene is present in the feed stream.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrochlorination catalyst comprises gold or a compound of gold on a catalyst support.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrochlorination catalyst comprises a non-metallic catalyst.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the dehydrochlorination and hydrochlorination catalysts are present in separate reaction vessels.

8. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the dehydrochlorination and hydrochlorination catalysts are present in the same vessel.

9. The process according to claim 8 , wherein the catalyst system comprises particles of a dehydrochlorination catalyst and separate particles of a hydrochlorination catalyst present in the same reaction vessel.

10. The process according to claim 9 , wherein the separate particles of dehydrochlorination and hydrochlorination catalysts are arranged in different regions of the reaction vessel.

11. The process according to claim 9 , wherein the separate particles of dehydrochlorination and hydrochlorination catalysts are mixed together to form a mixed catalyst bed.

12. The process according to claim 8 , wherein the dehydrochlorination and hydrochlorination catalysts are present in the same catalyst particle.

13. The process according to claim 12 , wherein the hydrochlorination catalyst and the dehydrochlorination catalyst are supported on the catalyst support of the dehydrochlorination catalyst.

14. The process according to claim 13 , wherein the hydrochlorination catalyst comprises a compound containing boron, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus or sulphur.

15. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the feed stream comprises at least 80% by weight ethylene dichloride.

16. The process according to claim 15 , wherein the feed stream comprises at least 95% by weight ethylene dichloride.