LOWRESCO: Production of polymers with a low residual monomer and solvent content

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 97.0594-2

Key words (English)

Inline monitoring; thermal stability; devolatilization; polymethylmethacrylate

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: BPR-CT97-0532

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 4. Frame Research Programme - 2.1 Industrial and materials technologies

Short description (English)

See abstract

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Universidad del País Vasco (E), Aristotle University of
Thessaloniki (EL), Technische Universität Berlin (D), Elf
Atochem (F), Sulzer Chemtech (CH), DSM, EPFL (CH)

Abstract (English)

The main idea behind the objectives of the project was the low residual content polymerization, minimizing health and environmental problems. This reaction should have been applied to a pilot scale reactor. A major task for successful fulfillment of this aim is the building of a complete continuous polymerization process. This includes the reaction of monomer to polymer, preheating of the melt and devolatilization of the polymer presented in task 3. The complete process has the great advantage to see the influences that reaction has on the separation step and vice versa. In all chemical production processes fulfillment of product specifications is one of the key aspects and major challenges. Development and improvement of products is strongly based on the insight into the relations between properties and measurable quantities. Modern analytical chemistry provides various methods for the characterization of polymeric products. For the achievement of the set goals concerning the low residual production of PMMA some new analytical devices were set up and others were improved as described in task1. Thermal stability of polymers is an important aspect for their production, processing and finally also their disposal. It mainly depends on the molecules' resistance against oxygen attack and elevated temperatures. Most polymers degrade above 300°C, yet, the mechanisms and especially the degradation products are very different. The non-oxidative decomposition is caused by various kinds of chain scission, leading to macromolecular fragments or in case of high monomer yields to the unzipping of the polymer chains. This mechanism does not need oxygen for initiation and is therefore of great importance already for production and devolatilization steps, where very little oxygen is present. The non-oxidative degradation mechanisms for PMMA that were examined by thermogravimetrical analysis are outlined in task 2. One of the objectives of this work was to maximize the overall polymer yield in the continuous polymerization process. Therefore a stabilization strategy was to be developed in order to reduce thermal decomposition during the devolatilization step. This includes the detailed understanding of the different degradation mechanisms for Polymethylmethacrylate as much as a thorough knowledge of modern polymer analytics to evaluate the experiments.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 97.0594-2