Sulzer Chemtech Ag

Sulzer Management Ag

Purac Biochem Bv

Liborio Ivano Costa

Massimo Morbidelli

Giuseppe Storti

Francesca Tancini

Hans-Peter Brack

Philip Nising

David Pfister

Jan-Georg Rosenboom

Yingchuan Yu

Peter Joachim Fleckenstein

François Loviat

Fabio Codari

A process to produce a polyester polymer by polymerization of a cyclic polyester oligomer composition comprising a cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units in the presence of a plasticizer, as well as the polyester polymer obtained thereby.

Process to prepare polyester polymer and polyester polymer obtainable thereby

A process to prepare a (iv) cyclic polyester oligomer composition includes a cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units and two to five repeat units. The process includes (a) reacting a monomer composition including: (i) a bifunctional furan-derivative and (ii) a diol in an linear oligomerization step to produce a (iii) linear oligomer composition including a linear oligomer species, (b) reacting the (iii) linear oligomer composition in a distillation-assisted cyclization (DA-C) step to form a (iv) cyclic polyester oligomer composition and a (v) diol byproduct. The (v) diol byproduct is removed by evaporation in the distillation-assisted cyclization (DA-C) step.

Process to prepare a cyclic oligomer and a cyclic oligomer obtainable thereby and a process to polymerize it

A method is provided which reduces the transition time and/or the polymer waste in a continuous polymerization plant and/or process having a back-mixing reactor when polymer grades are changed from a first polymer grade to a second polymer grade. A monomer(s) and processing agent(s) are introduced to the reactor. The concentration of the processing agent(s) in a feed stream to the reactor is varied as a function of time from a first value associated with the first polymer grade to a final value associated with the second polymer grade. During the concentration variation one or more intermediate values of processing agent concentration are adjusted between at a first value, an intermediate value(s), and a final value. The intermediate values may be maintained for a time which is calculated on the basis of only residence time and steady-state correlations between input and output of the reactor and/or of the polymerization plant. The method is performed without performing dynamic modelling.

Method to minimize the transition time from one polymer grade to another polymer grade in a polymerization plant

A process to prepare a polyester polymer composition comprising a polyester polymer having furanic units is disclosed. The process comprises a step of ring-opening polymerization of a cyclic polyester oligomer, which comprises residue of furandicarboxylic acid and a diol, in the presence of a catalyst in order to yield a polyester polymer having furanic units. The polyester polymer composition obtainable by the process, wherein the polyester polymer composition comprises a polyester polymer having furanic units and a cyclic polyester oligomer in a concentration of less than 5 wt % of the composition. The use of the polyester polymer composition in extrusion, injection molding, or blow molding are also disclosed.

Process to prepare a polyester polymer composition comprising a polyester polymer having furanic units and a polyester polymer composition obtainable thereby and the use thereof

A process of manufacturing a polyester from cyclic ester monomer comprises the steps of: a) providing a cyclic ester, b) polymerizing the cyclic ester in the presence of a catalyst and optionally an initiator in a reactor to form a reaction mixture comprising polyester and unreacted cyclic ester, wherein after the polymerization at least one polymerization inhibitor is added to the reaction mixture, wherein the polymerization inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of monoimines, diimines, mono alkyl phosphates according to the formula RPOH, wherein R is a Clinear, branched or cyclic alkyl group, di alkyl phosphates according to the formula RPOH, wherein each R is independently a Clinear, branched or cyclic alkyl group or a combination thereof, and phosphate esters according to the general formula (I) wherein at least one of R', R&#x2033; and R&#x2033;&#x2032; has the general structure as in general formula (II) wherein n&#x3e;0 and Q is independently a Clinear, branched or substituted alkyl group, and R is independently an H or linear, branched, cyclic or substituted alkyl group or a phenyl group derivative, and wherein any of R&#x2032;, R&#x2033; and R&#x2033;&#x2032; not having the general structure as in general formula (II) is independently an H or a linear, branched, cyclic or substituted alkyl group or a phenyl group derivative.

Continuous method for manufacturing a polyester from cyclic ester monomer

A method for stabilizing a condensed phase composition in a process of manufacturing a polyester from cyclic ester monomer comprising the steps of devolatilizing a reaction mixture, which contains i) at least one polymerizable cyclic ester, ii) at least one catalyst and optionally at least one initiator, to produce a vapor stream and a molten residue, wherein the vapor stream includes mainly i) the at least one polymerizable cyclic ester and ii) the at least one catalyst and/or the at least one initiator and/or a reaction product or a residue of the at least one catalyst and/or the at least one initiator and condensing the vapor stream to form the condensed phase composition, wherein at least one polymerization inhibitor is added as stabilizer to the reaction mixture and/or to the condensed phase composition in an amount so that the degree of conversion of the polymerizable cyclic ester in the condensed phase composition is not more than 15%, wherein the degree of conversion is 100&#x25aa;(c0&#x2212;C)/c, wherein cis the initial concentration of the cyclic ester in the condensed phase composition obtained by the condensation of the vapor stream and Cis the concentration of the cyclic ester in the condensed phase composition after addition of 150 ppm of tin octoate as catalyst and of 100 mmol/kg of ethyl-hexanol as initiator to the condensed phase composition and a subsequent heat treatment of condensed phase composition under inert atmosphere conditions for 12 hours at 160&#xb0; C.

Method for stabilizing a condensed phase composition including a cyclic ester in a process of manufacturing a polyester or of lactide

A process to prepare a cyclic polyester oligomer composition having a cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units, includes the step of reacting a monomer component, for example, 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid and, for example, ethylene glycol, in a ring closing oligomerization at a reaction temperature and reaction time, for example, at 100&#xb0; C. to 350&#xb0; C. for 30 to 600 minutes to obtain a cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units. The process yields a cyclic polyester oligomer composition which can be used in further ring-opening polymerization reactions to produce a polyester polymer. The cyclic polyester oligomer composition has a cyclic polyester oligomer having furanic units and less than 5% linear oligomeric polyester species in the composition.

Process to prepare a cyclic oligomer and a cyclic oligomer obtainable thereby

A method for manufacturing poly(2-hydroxyalkanoic acid), preferably a poly(lactic acid), is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: mixing a cyclic diester of a 2-hydroxyalkanoic acid and a polymerization catalyst, polymerizing the cyclic diester to form poly(2-hydroxyalkanoic acid) in liquid phase, adding a peroxide-based compound as a catalyst deactivating agent to the liquid phase, applying a devolatilization step to the liquid phase, and allowing the poly(2-hydroxyalkanoic acid) to solidify, characterized in that an end-capping agent is added to the poly(2-hydroxyalkanoic acid) in the liquid phase. The present invention also relates to a poly(2-hydroxyalkanoic acid), preferably a poly(lactic acid), obtainable with said method characterized in that the polymer has a Mn abs ranging between 10000 and 250000 g/mol, preferably between 20000 and 85000 g/mol.

Growing community of inventors

Winterthur, Switzerland

Liborio Ivano Costa