Continuous process for the manufacture of highly-branched polymers

摘要

The present invention relates to a continuous process for the manufacture of highly-branched homo- or copolymers of C3-C8 ethylenically unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acid as well as the anhydrides and salts thereof (monomer A) by means of free-radical polymerization of monomer A and optionally water-soluble, monethylenically unsaturated comonomers (monomer B) in an aqueous medium in the presence of at least one water-soluble initiator, wherein the polymerization takes place in at least one tubular reactor segment.

主权项

1. A continuous process for the manufacture of homopolymers or copolymers by free-radical polymerization of monomer A, C3-C8 monoethylenically unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acid or of the anhydrides and salts thereof, and optionally, monomer B, water-soluble, ethylenically unsaturated monomers different from monomer A in an aqueous medium in the presence of at least one water-soluble initiator, the process comprises the following steps:
i) optionally, continuously metering the solutions of the monomer A, and the optional monomer B, and a solution of the initiator into a mixing unit comprising at least one micro-mixer and mixing the reactants in the mixing unit, ii) conducting continuous free-radical polymerization in at least one tubular reactor segment at a temperature of from 180° C. to 300° C., wherein the tubular reactor has a specific surface area larger than 50 m2/m3, and the entire reactor system contains at least one pressure regulating device.