To provide a method capable of producing fluorinated polymer particles in which formation of fine particles or formation of large aggregates is sufficiently suppressed even in the case of a fluorinated polymer having high solubility in a solvent.

The method comprises the following steps (i) and (ii), being a method for producing particles of a fluorinated polymer (A) which has either one or both of structural units (u1) derived from tetrafluoroethylene and structural units (u2) having no sulfonic acid type functional group and having a cyclic structure and fluorine atoms, and which has structural units (u3) having a sulfonic acid type functional group, wherein the proportion of the structural units (u1) is from 0 to 82 mol % in all structural units (100 mol %) in the fluorinated polymer (A): (i) a step of preparing solution or dispersion of the fluorinated polymer (A) having the above fluorinated polymer (A) dissolved or dispersed in a solvent (B), wherein the following conditions (i-1) and (i-2) are satisfied: (i-1) the solvent (B) contains a good solvent (B2) wherein the solubility of the fluorinated polymer (A) is at least 30%, (i-2) even when the above solution or dispersion of the fluorinated polymer (A) is passed through a filter of 200 mesh made of stainless steel, no residue remains on the filter, (ii) a step of mixing the above solution or dispersion of the fluorinated polymer (A) and a solvent (C) to aggregate the fluorinated polymer (A) to form particles of the fluorinated polymer (A), wherein the following conditions (ii-1) to (ii-3) are satisfied: (ii-1) the solvent (C) contains a poor solvent (C1) whereby the degree of swelling of the fluorinated polymer (A) is at most 100%, (ii-2) the degree of swelling of the fluorinated polymer (A) by a mixed solvent (BC) of the solvent (B) and the solvent (C) is from 70 to 250%, (ii-3) the ratio of the mass (W.sub.C) of the solvent (C) to the mass (W.sub.B) of the solvent (B) is from 1 to 5.

Disclosed herein too is a method comprising charging to a reactor system a feed stream comprising a catalyst, a monomer and a solvent; reacting the monomer to form a polymer; where the polymer is contained in a single phase polymer solution; transporting the polymer solution to a pre-heater to increase the temperature of the polymer solution; charging the polymer solution to a liquid-liquid separator; reducing a pressure of the polymer solution in the liquid-liquid separator and separating a polymer-rich phase from a solvent-rich phase in the liquid-liquid separator; transporting the polymer-rich phase to a plurality of devolatilization vessels located downstream of the liquid-liquid separator, where each devolatilization vessel operates at a lower pressure than the preceding devolatilization vessel; and separating the polymer from volatiles present in the polymer rich phase.

Disclosed herein too is a method comprising charging to a reactor system a feed stream comprising a catalyst, a monomer and a solvent; reacting the monomer to form a polymer; where the polymer is contained in a single phase polymer solution; transporting the polymer solution to a pre-heater to increase the temperature of the polymer solution; charging the polymer solution to a liquid-liquid separator; reducing a pressure of the polymer solution in the liquid-liquid separator and separating a polymer-rich phase from a solvent-rich phase in the liquid-liquid separator; transporting the polymer-rich phase to a plurality of devolatilization vessels located downstream of the liquid-liquid separator, where each devolatilization vessel operates at a lower pressure than the preceding devolatilization vessel; and separating the polymer from volatiles present in the polymer rich phase.

The invention relates to an aqueous pigmented coating composition containing at least one polymer P1 in the form of an aqueous polymer dispersion, and at least one water-soluble polymer P2 that is composed of ethylenically unsaturated monomers M and contains at least 30% by weight of polymerized N-vinylpyrrolidone in relation to the total amount of monomers M. The invention further relates to the use of the aqueous pigmented coating compositions of the invention for coating tannin-containing substrates, a coating method, and the coated substrates.

Described herein is a process for producing a propylene copolymer in at least a pre-polymerization stage, a first and a second reaction stage connected in series with improved monomer recovery, wherein a product stream, comprising a propylene polymer mixture, unreacted propylene, unreacted ethylene and hydrogen, if present, is separated in a separation unit into a first overhead stream and a first bottom product stream, wherein the desired propylene polymer mixture is recovered from the first bottom product stream. The first overhead stream is at least partially condensed, passed to a distillation column and separated into a second overhead stream and a second bottom product stream. The second overhead stream is at least partially condensed and split into three distinct streams, wherein a distillation reflux stream is returned into the distillation column, a first recycle stream is passed to the second reaction stage and a second recycle stream is passed to a stripping column from where a third bottom product stream is withdrawn and at least a part of it is passed to a propylene feed vessel, to the pre-polymerisation stage, to the first reaction stage, or to a combination thereof. Further disclosed is a polymerization unit, particularly suitable for carrying out the inventive process.

Described herein is a process for producing a propylene copolymer in at least a pre-polymerization stage, a first and a second reaction stage connected in series with improved monomer recovery, wherein a product stream, comprising a propylene polymer mixture, unreacted propylene, unreacted ethylene and hydrogen, if present, is separated in a separation unit into a first overhead stream and a first bottom product stream, wherein the desired propylene polymer mixture is recovered from the first bottom product stream. The first overhead stream is at least partially condensed, passed to a distillation column and separated into a second overhead stream and a second bottom product stream. The second overhead stream is at least partially condensed and split into three distinct streams, wherein a distillation reflux stream is returned into the distillation column, a first recycle stream is passed to the second reaction stage and a second recycle stream is passed to a stripping column from where a third bottom product stream is withdrawn and at least a part of it is passed to a propylene feed vessel, to the pre-polymerisation stage, to the first reaction stage, or to a combination thereof. Further disclosed is a polymerization unit, particularly suitable for carrying out the inventive process.

The present invention is concerned with a separator comprising a vessel, a first inlet, a second inlet, a first outlet, a second outlet, and a separation device located downstream of the first outlet, wherein the separation device comprises two outlets, whereas one outlet of the separation device is fluidly connected to the second inlet of the vessel. Furthermore, the present invention is also concerned with a process for separating hydrocarbons from a reaction solution comprising a polymer and said hydrocarbons, comprising the steps of passing the reaction solution through the first inlet into the separator according to the invention, withdrawing a first outlet stream through the first outlet, withdrawing a second outlet stream through the second outlet, separating the first outlet stream in the separation device to produce a first separated stream and a second separated stream, withdrawing the first separated stream from the separation device and passing the first separated stream through the second inlet into the vessel, and withdrawing the second separated stream from the separation device.

Provided is a method for producing a hydrocarbon resin hydride, comprising: hydrogenating a hydrocarbon resin by bringing the hydrocarbon resin into contact with hydrogen in the presence of an antioxidative compound and a hydrogenation catalyst, the antioxidative compound being at least one selected from the group consisting of hindered phenolic antioxidants and antioxidants having a 2,2,6,6-tetraalkyl-4-piperidyl group.

A method of recovering a solvent including: supplying polymerization reactants including one or more monomers and a solvent to a reactor to obtain a polymer solution; supplying a stream including the polymer solution to a separator to separate an upper discharge stream including the solvent, wherein the solvent is in a gaseous phase, and a lower discharge stream including the polymer solution; heating a divergence stream including a part of the lower discharge stream from the separator by a heating device and refluxing the divergence stream to the separator; supplying a residue stream including a remainder of the lower discharge stream from the separator to a steam stripping process unit; and adjusting a vapor mass fraction of the divergence stream which is refluxed to the separator with a pressure adjustment valve after being heated by the heating device.

A method of recovering a solvent including: supplying polymerization reactants including one or more monomers and a solvent to a reactor to obtain a polymer solution; supplying a stream including the polymer solution to a separator to separate an upper discharge stream including the solvent, wherein the solvent is in a gaseous phase, and a lower discharge stream including the polymer solution; heating a divergence stream including a part of the lower discharge stream from the separator by a heating device and refluxing the divergence stream to the separator; supplying a residue stream including a remainder of the lower discharge stream from the separator to a steam stripping process unit; and adjusting a vapor mass fraction of the divergence stream which is refluxed to the separator with a pressure adjustment valve after being heated by the heating device.