Process for preparing a polymer product having a 2,5-furandicarboxylate moiety within the polymer backbone to be used in bottle, film or fibre applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9527954-B2
Application number	US-201214353138-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2012
Priority date	Oct 24, 2011
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

A process for preparing a polymer having a 2,5-furandicarboxylate moiety within the polymer backbone, and having a number average molecular weight of at least 25,000, includes a transesterification step, a polycondensation step, a drying and/or crystallizing step, and a step where the polymer is subjected to post condensation conditions, and to a polyester-containing bottle or film or fiber-containing woven or non-woven object made from melt-processing poly(ethylene-2,5-furandicarboxylate), where the poly(ethylene-2,5-furandicarboxylate) is obtainable by the process of the invention.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for preparing a poly(ethylene-2,5-furandicarboxylate) polymer having a number average molecular weight of at least 25,000, as determined by GPC based on polystyrene standards, wherein the process comprises:
(a) a first step which is providing a molten reaction mixture comprising bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-2,5-furandicarboxylate;
(b) a polycondensation step at reduced pressure and at elevated temperature, wherein under melt conditions the product provided in step (a) is reacted in the presence of a polycondensation catalyst and removing the condensate from the reactor;
(c) drying and/or crystallizing the obtained condensate at a temperature from 90 to 145° C.; and
(d) subjecting the polymer of step (c) to post condensation conditions comprising a elevated temperature treatment ending at a temperature of at least 190° C. to thereby obtain a poly(ethylene-2,5-furandicarboxylate) polymer having a number average molecular weight of at least 25,000;
wherein the temperature is increased by 5 to 25° C. per hour.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein after removal from the reactor the condensate is cooled and shaped into pellets for subsequent solid stating step.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the conditions in step (d) further comprise providing an inert gas or vacuum.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the elevated temperature treatment of step (d) comprises a temperature treatment starting at 180° C. until a temperature of at least 205° C.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the number average molecular weight is determined by GPC based on polystyrene standards.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer is subjected to strain hardening to improve mechanical properties.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the molten reaction mixture comprises bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-2,5-furandicarboxylate prepared by a transesterification step wherein dimethyl-2,5-furandicarboxylate ester (diester) is transesterified with ethylene glycol (diol) in the presence of a transesterification catalyst.

8. The process according to claim 7 , wherein the diol and diester are used in a diol to diester molar ratio of 1.5-3.0.

9. The process according to claim 7 , wherein the transesterification is performed at a temperature from 150 to 230° C.

10. The process according to claim 7 , wherein methanol is removed from the transesterification step up to a temperature of 230° C.

11. The process according to claim 7 , wherein the transesterification catalyst is a calcium or zinc catalyst and the polycondensation catalyst is an antimony catalyst.

12. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the reduced pressure in step (b) is below 1 mbar.

13. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the elevated temperature in step (b) is below 240° C.

14. The process according to claim 8 , wherein the diol and diester are used in a diol to diester molar ratio of 2.0-2.5.

Assignees

• Furanix Technologies Bv

Inventors

• Sipos Laszlo
• Gruter Gerardus Johannes Maria
• Kolstad Jeffrey John
• Dam Matheus Adrianus

Classifications

• B29K2023/06

  PE, i.e. polyethylene · CPC title

• C08G63/866

  Antimony or compounds thereof · CPC title

• C08G63/672 Primary

  Dicarboxylic acids and dihydroxy compounds · CPC title

• C08G63/181 Primary

  Acids containing aromatic rings · CPC title

• B29L2031/7158

  Bottles · CPC title