Tpc Group LLC

Leonard M Czupski

Michael O Nutt

Peggy J Macatangay

Rajeev Kumar

André M Gobin

Wayne Ouellette

A method of making a low-fluoride reactive PIB composition includes (a) providing a modified C4 feedstock by way of blending a mixed C4 feedstock with a second feedstock having a lower LB/IsoB ratio; or providing a C4 feedstock with an LB/IsoB index of less than 10%; (b) feeding the modified C4 feedstock or the C4 feedstock with an LB/IsoB index of less than 10% to a CSTR with a homogeneous catalyst comprising BFand a modifier selected from alcohols, ethers and mixtures thereof; (c) polymerizing the modified C4 feedstock or the C4 feedstock with an LB/IsoB index of less than 10% in the reactor while maintaining the reactor at a temperature above &#x2212;15&#xb0; C. and utilizing a residence time less than 45 minutes to produce a crude PIB composition in a polymerization mixture; and (d) recovering a purified PIB composition from the polymerization mixture having a molecular weight, Mn, from 250 to 5000 Daltons and an alpha vinylidene content of at least 50 mol %. The crude PIB composition suitably has a fluoride content of less than 100 ppm and the purified PIB composition has a fluoride content of less than 20 ppm in preferred embodiments. In the most preferred embodiments, ammonium salts are used to neutralize the catalyst and fluoride salts are sublimed from the product at elevated temperatures.

Low-fluoride, reactive polyisobutylene

A method of making a low-fluoride reactive PIB composition includes in one embodiment: a) providing an isobutylene-enriched C4 feedstock by way of blending a first mixed C4 feedstock with a second feedstock having a lower LB/IsoB index; (b) feeding the isobutylene-enriched C4 feedstock to a polymerization reactor with a catalyst complex comprising BFand a modifier selected from alcohols, ethers and mixtures thereof; (c) polymerizing the isobutylene-enriched C4 feedstock in the reactor while maintaining the reactor at a temperature above &#x2212;40&#xb0; C. and most preferably above &#x2212;15&#xb0; C. and utilizing a residence time less than 45 minutes to produce a crude PIB composition in a polymerization mixture; and (d) recovering a purified PIB composition from the polymerization mixture having a molecular weight, Mn, from 250 to 5000 Daltons and an alpha vinylidene content of at least 50 mol %. The crude PIB composition suitably has a fluoride content of less than 100 ppm and the purified PIB composition has a fluoride content of less than 20 ppm. In another aspect, ammonium salts are used to neutralize the catalyst and fluoride salts are sublimed from the product at elevated temperatures.

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League City, TX, United States of America

Leonard M Czupski