Process for polymerizing formaldehyde

Abstract

Undesirable deposition of polyoxymethylene onto the inner wall of a polymerization reactor and onto a stirrer, which deposition is observed in the slurry polymerization of formaldehyde carried out in an inert organic liquid medium, can be minimized by carrying out the slurry polymerization in the presence of a polymerization catalyst prepared by bringing a metal chelate compound into contact with polyoxymethylene in an inert organic liquid medium in the presence of formaldehyde. Preferably, the slurry polymerization is carried out in the presence of, in addition to the above-mentioned polymerization catalyst, at least one polyvalent metal salt of an alkylsalicylic acid or of a dialkyl ester of sulfosuccinic acid. It is also preferable to use a tubular closed loop reactor equipped with an impeller wherein gaseous formaldehyde is blown into the reactor in a position located downstream from the impeller, while the catalyst-containing slurry is circulated therethrough.