Phillips Petroleum Company

Other

Joseph G Ceurvorst

Rex L Bobsein

Afif M Nesheiwat

Lacey E Scoggins

Fu M Lee

A method is provided for recovering poly(arylene sulfide) from a mixture comprising a liquid-phase poly(arylene sulfide) and a polar organic compound, wherein the liquid mixture is contacted by an amount of a liquid, vaporized, or mixed phase separation agent at least sufficient to effect or enhance a phase separation of the liquid-phase poly(arylene sulfide) component from the polar organic compound. The poly(arylene sulfide) resins recovered according to this invention generally exhibit uniform particle size and do not tend to adhere to vessel walls during the recovery.

Method to recover liquified poly(arylene sulfide) with separation agent

A process for preparing arylene sulfide polymers which comprises the steps of contacting at least one alkali metal hydroxide, water and at least one lactam to form a first mixture comprising an alkali metal aminoalkanoate, water and lactam, and subsequently contacting said first mixture with at least one sulfur source selected from the group consisting of alkali metal bisulfides, thiolactams, and hydrogen sulfide under reaction conditions of time and temperature sufficient to produce a second mixture comprising a polymerizable complex of an alkali metal aminolkanoate and the sulfur source, lactam, water and metal impurities; separating at least a portion of the metal impurities from the second mixture to form a third mixture; contacting at least one dihaloaromatic compound with the third mixture to produce a polymerization mixture; subjecting the polymerization mixture to polymerization conditions of time and temperature sufficient to produce the arylene sulfide polymer; and recovering the arylene sulfide polymer. In a further embodiment, the second mixture may be dehydrated prior to separating at least a portion of the metal impurities from the second mixture, or the third mixture may be dehydrated prior to contacting the third mixture with the dihaloaromatic compound.

Process for preparing arylene sulfide polymers

Poly(arylene sulfide/sulfone) polymers prepared using a sulfur-rich reaction mixture are treated in order to increase melt stability by contacting the poly(arylene sulfide/sulfone) polymer with an acidic solution, followed by contacting the polymer with a soluble zinc compound.

Treatment of poly(arylene sulfide/sulfone) polymers

In a process for recovery N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone from a liquid aqueous medium (preferably a brine) by liquid-liquid extraction, the improvement comprises using a branched aliphatic C5-C7 alcohol as extractant. In a particular embodiment, the liquid aqueous medium is an effluent from a poly(arylene sulfide) process.

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Lakewood, CO, United States of America

Joseph G Ceurvorst