Polyvinyl alcohol is used as an emulsion polymerization, as protective colloid, to make polyvinyl acetate dispersions. This is the largest market application in China. Some other uses of polyvinyl alcohol include:

.Paper adhesive with boric acid in spiral tube winding and solid board production

.Thickener, modifier, in polyvinyl acetate glues 

.Textile sizing agent

.Paper coatings ,release liner 

.As a water-soluble film useful for packaging. An example is the envelope containing laundry detergent in "liqui-tabs".

.As a film us10.Movie practical effect and children's play putty or slime when combined with borax

..Used in eye drops (such as artificial tears to treat dry eyes) and hard contact solution as a lubricant

PVA is unique among polymers (chemical compounds made up of large, multiple-unit molecules) in that it is not built up in polymerization reactions from single-unit precursor molecules known as monomers. Instead, PVA is made by dissolving another polymer, polyvinyl acetate (PVAc), in an alcohol such as methanol and treating it with an alkaline catalyst such as sodium hydroxide. The resulting hydrolysis, or “alcoholysis,” reaction removes the acetate groups from the PVAc molecules without disrupting their long-chain structure. 

■Agitator

The agitator should be of highly effectively in agitation and heating.Any agitator that is capable of preventing the

formation of lumps, and transfer heat evenly can be used for dissolving PVA. Two-blade paddle type propellers

are usually used, with agitation speed of 80-100 rpm. The propeller blade should be carefully designed with

care, especially for dissolving high viscosity and high solid content PVA. Propeller blade of up to 65-75%

of the inside diameter of the vessel, with the propeller shaft perpendicular to the bottom, and a speed of 80-100 rpm seems to give the favorable results.