The invention describes a method for the manufacture of a plasticized polyvinyl alcohol polymer mixture, the method including the steps of introducing a polyvinyl alcohol polymer with a degree of hydrolysis of at least 98 wt % or a blend of the polyvinyl alcohol polymer into a mixing reactor; reacting a reaction mixture comprising a processing agent, plasticizer and polyvinyl alcohol polymer in a reaction zone to form plasticized polyvinyl alcohol polymer; wherein the processing agent is water, or a mixture of water and one or more C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alcohols or other hydroxyl compounds wherein the boiling point of the processing agent is less than the boiling point of the plasticizer; wherein the processing agent is from 3 wt % to 18 wt % in the reaction mixture; and allowing the plasticized polyvinyl alcohol polymer mixture to pass from the mixing reactor.

The present disclosure relates to a method for making thermoplastic vulcanizates comprising dynamically vulcanizing an elastomer in an extrusion reactor with a curative in the presence of a thermoplastic resin to form a thermoplastic vulcanizate. Process oil is added to the extrusion reactor at a first, second, and third location, where the amount of process oil introduced at the first oil injection location is less than that introduced at the second oil injection location, where the third oil injection location is downstream of where the curative is introduced to the extrusion reactor, and where the thermoplastic vulcanizate comprises at least 25 wt % of oil based on the weight of the thermoplastic vulcanizate.

A method of continuously manufacturing a cured membrane includes continuously compounding and mixing a vulcanizable rubber composition in a mixing extruder while continuously removing gasses from the vulcanizable rubber composition during mixing with a vacuum. The vulcanizable rubber composition may be continuously extruded to form an extrudate, which may be continuously calendered to form a green membrane. The green membrane may be continuously cured, such as by a hot air conveyor curing system, to form a cured membrane.

A method for preparing a paste-like composition including carbon-based conductive fillers, at least one polymeric binder, at least one solvent, and at least one polymeric dispersant being different from the binder. Also, the paste that can result from said method, and to the uses thereof, in pure or diluted form, in particular for the manufacture of Li-ion batteries and super-capacitors.

An extrusion apparatus intended for the manufacture of a coextruded profiled element P for tyres, produced from rubber compounds of various compositions, comprises a profiling device (30) arranged at the outlet of at least two flow channels (34, 35) for rubbery compounds of different composition. The said channels receive the compounds from positive-displacement contrarotating twin-screw extruders (10, 20), the screw flights interpenetrating and having conjugated profiles.

Device and method for dispersing solids, liquids and gases in an extruder, having at least one shaft (1) and one housing (2), wherein at least one disk (4) with recesses is attached to the shaft, which at least one disk co-rotates with the shaft, and a non-co-rotating disk (3) is arranged immediately adjacent to the disk either in a product flow direction or counter to the product flow direction, which non-co-rotating disk likewise has recesses, and wherein the co-rotating disk is connected to the rotating shaft and has a gap (14) with respect to the housing, and the non-co-rotating disk is connected to the housing and has a gap (15) with respect to the rotating core shaft.

Methods are disclosed for the continuous treatment of biomass comprising a pretreatment step, wherein said biomass is contacted with a first supercritical, near-critical, or sub-critical fluid to form a solid matrix and a first liquid fraction; and a hydrolysis step, wherein said solid matrix formed in said pretreatment step is contacted with a second supercritical or near-supercritical fluid to produce a second liquid fraction and an insoluble lignin-containing fraction. Also disclosed are apparatuses for the continuous conversion of biomass comprising a pretreatment reactor and a hydrolysis reactor associated with said pretreatment reactor.

The present disclosure is directed to a process for producing thermoplastic polyolefin roofing membrane. The process includes directly adding components of a high-load flame retardant TPO formulation to a counter-rotating twin screw extruder. The process includes extruding the formulation with counter-rotation of the twin screws and forming a TPO roofing membrane having a tensile strength of greater than 10 MPa and a flame retardance of rating of classification D as measured in accordance with EN ISO 11925-2, surface exposure test.

A composite material containing a polymer composition and a very low concentration of carbon nanofillers, in particular carbon nanotubes, having improved mechanical properties. The method for producing said composite material and to the different uses thereof. The use of carbon nanofillers at a concentration of between 0.1 ppm and 99 ppm in order to improve mechanical properties, in particular the tensile properties of a polymer matrix encasing at least one polymer selected from a thermoplastic polymer alone or mixed with an elastomer resin base, while facilitating the shaping thereof into composite parts using any suitable technique, in particular injection, extrusion, compression or molding, and while improving the electrostatic dissipation capability thereof.

A method for the improved extrusion of polyethylene polymers comprising passing polyethylene through a single stage, twin screw extruder comprising a solid polymer conveying zone, a polymer melting zone, a dispersive mixing zone, and a distributive mixing/pumping zone, in which the throughput and screw speed are optimized to reduce the number of gels present, ensure complete polymer melting within the polymer melting zone, and to minimize polymer degradation.