METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING MODIFIED POLYMER AND HYDROGEN ADDUCT THEREOF

摘要

Provided is a method for manufacturing a modified polymer or hydrogen adduct thereof the method allowing components that inhibit polymerization to be removed and the remaining part to be reused as a polymerization solvent. The method involves manufacturing a modified polymer having at least one functional group in a main chain or a side chain obtained by polymerizing with a conjugate diene and/or aromatic vinyl compound as the monomer and an active organic metal as the polymerization initiator in the presence of a hydrocarbon based solvent that is used as the polymerization solvent; or manufacturing a hydrogen adduct of the modified polymer. The method comprises in sequence: (a) a solvent removal step for separating the reaction solution where the modified polymer or hydrogen adduct is dissolved in the polymerization solvent into a solvent fraction containing the hydrocarbon based solvent and a solid fraction containing the modified polymer or the like; (b) a low boiling fraction separating step for distilling the solvent fraction and separating the hydrocarbon based solvent from the low boiling fraction containing a silanol compound; and (c) a silanol removing step for removing at least a portion of the silanol compound from the low boiling fraction by liquid liquid extraction using the low boiling fraction and an extraction solvent. Furthermore at least a portion of the extract solution where the silanol compound has been removed by liquid liquid extraction is reused as a polymerization solvent.