SCRUBBING PROCESS FOR POLYARYLENE SULFIDE FORMATION

摘要

A method and system for formation of a polyarylene sulfide is described. The method includes a first stage in which a complex is formed in a reactor. The complex includes the hydrolysis product of an organic amide solvent and an alkali metal hydrosulfide. The complex formation reaction also forms hydrogen sulfide as a by-product. The method also includes treating a fluid stream that is pulled off of the reactor. The treatment includes scrubbing the fluid stream to recover hydrogen sulfide from the stream and return the hydrogen sulfide to the reactor. The recovery and recycle of the hydrogen sulfide can prevent loss of sulfur from a polyarylene sulfide formation process.

主权项

1. A method for forming a polyarylene sulfide comprising:
reacting a first organic amide solvent with an alkali metal sulfide in the presence of water in a first reactor to form a complex that includes the hydrolysis product of the first organic amide solvent and an alkali metal hydrosulfide, the reaction producing a hydrogen sulfide by-product, the alkali metal sulfide including a molar amount of sulfur; scrubbing a fluid stream that includes the hydrogen sulfide by-product with a scrubbing mixture to form a sulfur-containing mixture, the scrubbing mixture including a second organic amide solvent and an alkali metal hydroxide; charging the sulfur-containing mixture to the first reactor; reacting the complex with a first dihaloaromatic monomer to form a polyarylene sulfide prepolymer; and reacting the polyarylene sulfide prepolymer with a second dihaloaromatic monomer and a sulfur-containing monomer in a third organic amide solvent to form the polyarylene sulfide.