A Kinetic Investigation of Removal of Residual Monomers From Polymer Latexes Via Post- polymerization and Nitrogen Stripping Methods

摘要

In the present study, a comprehensive experimental investigation on the removal of residual monomers and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from polymer latexes via post-polymerization and nitrogen stripping is reported. Both techniques are applied to poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(butyl acrylate) (PBuA), and poly(methyl methacrylate/butylacrylate) P(MMA/BuA) latexes. The effects of various process parameters (e.g., temperature, oxidant and reductant types and concentrations, addition time of the oxidant/reductant redox system for the post-polymerization process and nitrogen flow rate, agitation rate, and temperature for the physical stripping process) and latex properties (e.g., particle size, wt.-% of polymer solids and copolymer composition) on the monomer removal process efficiency are experimentally assessed. Finally, the two methods are applied in a simultaneous or sequential mode, to further improve the VOC_s removal efficiency.