A process and a system for producing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) granules by transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate with ethylene glycol or by esterification of (fiber) purified terephthalic acid with ethylene glycol suitable for further processing to form packaging films and bottles, comprising the steps of polycondensation, granulation and latent heat crystallization, aftertreatment of the crude granules to adjust the polymer quality values required for the further processing, in particular the intrinsic viscosity, the acetaldehyde content and the moisture content, wherein the aftertreatment is carried out in multiple moving bed tubular reactors operated in parallel.

A continuous granulation system for obtaining conditioned granules is disclosed. The system comprises a processor configured to produce a continuous flow of granules at an outlet of the processor. The system also comprises a collection chamber positioned downstream from the processor and configured to collect the granules from the outlet. Further, the system comprises an air displacement device coupled to the collection chamber and configured to create a unidirectional flow of air at the outlet in a direction of the granules exiting the processor and away from the outlet. The unidirectional flow of air conditions the granules obtained in the collection chamber. A continuous granulation method and a continuous granule collection system for obtaining the conditioned granules is also disclosed.

A process to form a “functionalized ethylene-based polymer” from a first composition comprising an ethylene-based polymer and at least one polar compound, and at least one peroxide, said process comprising at least the following: a) thermally treating the first composition, in at least one extruder comprising at least one barrel, to form the functionalized ethylene-based polymer; b) extruding the functionalized ethylene-based polymer, in melt form, to form an extrudate; c) cooling the extrudate; and d) pelletizing the extrudate; and wherein the “efficiency of the peroxide consumption, after the thermal treatment, is ≥91 wt % within the at least one extruder; and wherein the “normalized feed rate” at which the process is nm is ≥0.0018 (lbs/hr)/(mm).sup.3; and wherein, for step c), after the extrudate exits the extruder, and before the extrudate is pelletized, the extrudate is cooled in a cooling medium to a pelletization temperature, T.sub.pel in ° C.), ≤ the crystallization temperature T.sub.c (in ° C.) of the functionalized ethylene-based polymer.

A process for recycling thermoplastic polymer material to produce polymer pre-form, the process comprising the steps of pre-treating a polymer material for example by separating, sorting, cleaning and/or shaping; shredding the pre-treated polymer to produce polymer flakes; and processing the polymer material to produce a pre-form, characterised in that prior to the step (iii) of producing the pre-form, the polymer flakes are compacted to form pellets.

A process for recycling thermoplastic polymer material to produce polymer pre-form, the process comprising the steps of pre-treating a polymer material for example by separating, sorting, cleaning and/or shaping; shredding the pre-treated polymer to produce polymer flakes; and processing the polymer material to produce a pre-form, characterised in that prior to the step (iii) of producing the pre-form, the polymer flakes are compacted to form pellets.

The present invention provides a process for extruding and pelletising a propylene copolymer. The copolymer has a content of comonomer from 5 to 40% by mole, a melt flow rate MFR.sub.2 measured at 230° C. under a load of 2.16 kg of from 0.5 to 15 g/10 min and a content of cold xylene soluble material of from 20 to 60% by weight. The process comprises extruding the propylene copolymer through a die plate into an underwater pelletiser and cutting strands of the propylene copolymer into pellets in the underwater pelletiser, wherein the ratio of the mass flow rate of the propylene copolymer to the mass flow rate of the cooling water is from 0.020 to 0.060; and the propylene copolymer comprises a polymeric nucleating agent.

Processes and apparatuses for producing polymer particles with a solid state polycondensation reactor and an underwater pelletization unit. The apparatuses use a pre-conditioning zone to adjust a temperature, crystallization in addition to dust, acetaldehyde and water content of the particles from a crystallization bin. Various inert gas streams can be provided from a purification unit to remove dust, acetaldehyde, water and adjust temperature and crystallinity of the particles, as also move the particles. The precondition zones have stages that allow for the particles to accurately achieve the desired SSP reactor inlet conditions.

A powder for powder bed fusion has a grain size distribution where D10 is not less than 20 μm and not more than 42 μm, D50 is not less than 42 μm and not more than 70 μm, and D90 is not more than 100 μm, and includes polybutylene terephthalate having a melting peak half width in a DSC chart of not less than 1° C. and not more than 10° C. The powder for powder bed fusion benefits from excellent crushability and is prevented from the elongation of the particles or the softening of the resin even when the resin has been pulverized with a rotary blade or the like, and can form a uniformly thick powder layer without vacancies in a printing process and thus can be built up into a desired article with high accuracy.

Methods of recovering and/or recycling expanded polymer tooling, the methods including collecting expanded polymer tooling, reducing the collected expanded polymer tooling into smaller particles, treating the reduced expanded polymer tooling in order to yield an at least partially purified recovered polymer composition, and then collecting the at least partially purified recovered polymer composition. The at least partially purified recovered polymer composition can then be used to form new expandable polymer tooling.

Polyester multilobed prepolymer pellets and methods of making and using the same are provided. The multilobed polyester pellets have an increased surface area to volume ratio which improves intraparticle diffusion mass transfer rates resulting in a reduction of pellet drying and solid state polymerization processing times.