E.i. Dupont De Nemours and Company

The Dow Chemical Company

Dow Global Technolgoies LLC

Stanley W Smith

Deepak R Parikh

Morris S Edmondson

Michael E Rowland

Brian W S Kolthammer

Robert S Cardwell

Jerry W Soape

Robert B Combs

Richard C Abel, Jr

Ethylene, an &agr;-olefin and, optionally, a diene monomer are polymerized in a process comprising the step of contacting (1) ethylene, (2) at least one C -C aliphatic &agr;-olefin, (3) optionally, at least one C -C diene, (4) a catalyst comprising (a) a metallocene complex, and (b) an activator, and (5) a solvent. The process is conducted in either a single reactor or in multiple reactors, the latter configured either in series or parallel. Solvent is removed from the polymer stream in an anhydrous, first stage solvent recovery operation such that the solids concentration of the product stream is increased by at least 100 percent. Additional solvent is removed in an anhydrous, second stage solvent recovery operation from the product of the first stage solvent recovery operation such that the solids concentration of the product stream is in excess of 65 weight percent.

Metallocene-catalyzed process for the manufacture of EP and EPDM polymers

Methods for devolatilizing polymer solutions have been invented which include, in certain aspects, dissolving a viscous polymer in a solvent forming a polymer-solvent solution, introducing the polymer-solvent solution into a thermal dryer, heating or cooling the polymer-solvent solution in the thermal dryer forming product polymer with solvent removed and separated solvent (which may include other residuals), the separated solvent with other residuals if present vaporizing in the thermal dryer forming a vapor, removing the vapor from the thermal dryer, and discharging product polymer from the thermal dryer.

Polymer recovery

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Lake Jackson, TX, United States of America

Stanley W Smith