Systems and processes for polymer production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12037447-B2
Application number	US-202016881403-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2020
Priority date	Feb 13, 2015
Publication date	Jul 16, 2024
Grant date	Jul 16, 2024

Abstract

Disclosed are compositions, systems and methods related to a polypropiolactone composition comprising polypropiolactone polymers. Such polymers include polypropiolactone chains of Formula (I): where n is an integer from 10 to about 1,000 and Y is either —H or a cation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing acrylic acid, comprising heating a polypropiolactone composition to produce the acrylic acid,
wherein the polypropiolactone composition comprises polypropiolactone polymers, or salts thereof, each independently comprising:
(a) an acrylate end group having the structure

 or a hydracrylate end group having the structure

 and
(b) a polymer chain comprising repeating units having the structure

 wherein the acrylate end group or the hydracrylate end group caps the alkyl terminus of the polymer chain, and
wherein between about 30 wt % to about 90 wt % of the polypropiolactone composition comprises the polypropiolactone polymers, or salts thereof, having the hydracrylate end group, wherein wt % is based on the total weight of the polypropiolactone composition.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acrylic acid comprises at least 0.1 wt % water.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polypropiolactone composition has an Mn of less than or equal to about 40,000 g/mol.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the polypropiolactone composition has a PDI less than or equal to about 2.0.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein less than or equal to 70 wt % of the polypropiolactone composition comprises:
polypropiolactone polymers, or salts thereof, that do not have hydracrylate end groups.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the acrylic acid is produced at a rate of at least about 500 kg/hr.

7. A method for producing acrylic acid, comprising heating a polypropiolactone composition to produce the acrylic acid,
wherein the polypropiolactone composition comprises polypropiolactone polymers, or salts thereof, each independently comprising:
(a) a hydracrylate end group having the structure

 and
(b) a polymer chain comprising repeating units having the structure

 wherein the hydracrylate end group caps the alkyl terminus of the polymer chain, and
wherein the acrylic acid comprises water in a weight percent of about 0.1 to about 5 wt %, wherein the weight percent is based on the total weight of the acrylic acid.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the acrylic acid is produced at a rate of at least about 500 kg/hour.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein at least 90 wt % of the polypropiolactone composition comprises polymers having the hydracrylate end group.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least some of the polypropiolactone polymers have a PDI of less than or equal to about 2.0.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the polypropiolactone polymers have an Mn between about 15,000 g/mol to about 40,000 g/mol.

Assignees

• Novomer Inc

Inventors

• Farmer Jay J
• Galebach Peter
• Sherry Kyle
• Sookraj Sadesh H

Classifications

• C08G2650/04

  End-capping · CPC title

• C08F4/30

  Inorganic compounds · CPC title

• C07C57/04

  Acrylic acid; Methacrylic acid · CPC title

• C08G63/06

  derived from hydroxycarboxylic acids · CPC title

• C08F120/06

  Acrylic acid; Methacrylic acid; Metal salts or ammonium salts thereof · CPC title