Described herein are methods for continuous solution polymerization. The method may comprise polymerizing one or more monomers and comonomers in the presence of a solvent in a polymerization reactor to produce a polymer solution; determining the composition of the polymer solution exiting the polymerization reactor in an on-line fashion; determining at least one of the critical pressure or critical temperature; comparing the critical pressure and/or critical temperature to the actual temperature of the polymer solution and the actual pressure of the polymer solution; heating or cooling the polymer solution to a temperature within 50° C. of the critical temperature; and passing the polymer solution through a pressure letdown valve into a liquid-liquid separator, where the pressure of the polymer solution is reduced or raised to a pressure within 50 psig of the critical pressure to induce a separation of the polymer solution into two liquid phases.

Described herein is a method of purifying a product and recycling water comprising the following steps: (i) providing a crude product comprising at least one low molecular weight fluoroorganic compounds wherein the low molecular weight fluoroorganic compounds is partially fluorinated and comprises a polar group and/or a reactive group; (ii) extracting the impurity from the product using water to form an extract, (iii) contacting the extract with a radical-forming process to degrade the low molecular weight fluoroorganic compounds into carbon dioxide, water, fluorine ions, and optionally cations; and (iv) using the water from step (iii) in step (ii)

The present disclosure is directed to provide a methacrylic resin and a methacrylic resin composition which enable production of a shaped article excellent in color tone in a long path length. A methacrylic resin of the present disclosure has a structural unit (X) including a cyclic structure in a main chain thereof. The methacrylic resin having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of higher than 120° C. and 160° C. or lower. An emission intensity at 514 nm in terms of a concentration of a solution of fluorescein in ethanol is 30×10.sup.−10 mol/L or less when a solution containing 2.0 mass % of the methacrylic resin in chloroform is spectroscopically analyzed using an excitation wavelength of 436 nm and a slit width of 2 nm.

The present disclosure is directed to provide a methacrylic resin and a methacrylic resin composition which enable production of a shaped article excellent in color tone in a long path length. A methacrylic resin of the present disclosure has a structural unit (X) including a cyclic structure in a main chain thereof. The methacrylic resin having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of higher than 120° C. and 160° C. or lower. An emission intensity at 514 nm in terms of a concentration of a solution of fluorescein in ethanol is 30×10.sup.−10 mol/L or less when a solution containing 2.0 mass % of the methacrylic resin in chloroform is spectroscopically analyzed using an excitation wavelength of 436 nm and a slit width of 2 nm.

A method for method for preparing a functionalized polymer, the method comprising the steps of preparing an active polymerization mixture including a reactive polymer by polymerizing conjugated diene monomer with a lanthanide-based catalyst; introducing a heterocyclic nitrile compound with the reactive polymer to form a functionalized polymer within the polymerization mixture; introducing a quenching agent to the polymerization mixture including the functionalized polymer, where the ratio of water or protic hydrogen atoms in the quenching agent to the lanthanide atoms in the lanthanide-based catalyst is less than 1500 to 1.

A method for method for preparing a functionalized polymer, the method comprising the steps of preparing an active polymerization mixture including a reactive polymer by polymerizing conjugated diene monomer with a lanthanide-based catalyst; introducing a heterocyclic nitrile compound with the reactive polymer to form a functionalized polymer within the polymerization mixture; introducing a quenching agent to the polymerization mixture including the functionalized polymer, where the ratio of water or protic hydrogen atoms in the quenching agent to the lanthanide atoms in the lanthanide-based catalyst is less than 1500 to 1.

A method of producing a low-odor emulsion includes: charging an aqueous polymer emulsion into a treatment vessel and supplying pressurized water vapor into the vessel through a supply passage, while maintaining the inside of the vessel in a state where water is boiled by bringing temperature of the aqueous polymer emulsion into a range of 50-90° C. and pressure in the vessel into 12 KPa to 57 KPa; and discharging water vapor in a gas phase part in the vessel and a volatile organic compound volatilized from the aqueous polymer emulsion to outside of a system. A ratio of an inner diameter of the vessel to an opening diameter of a supply opening for supplying the pressurized water vapor from the supply passage into the vessel is from 30 to 3000 for the inner diameter of the vessel relative to 1 for the opening diameter of the supply opening.

The present disclosure relates to a process and/or method for producing a polymer dispersion by free-radically initiated emulsion polymerization of radically polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated monomers within a polymerization reactor. The polymer dispersion obtained is transferred to a post-treatment reactor and is post-treated therein. The polymer dispersion within the post-treatment reactor is conveyed, simultaneously to the post-treatment, to a circuit for filtration and analysis and is then subsequently fed back into the post-treatment reactor.

The present disclosure relates to a process and/or method for producing a polymer dispersion by free-radically initiated emulsion polymerization of radically polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated monomers within a polymerization reactor. The polymer dispersion obtained is transferred to a post-treatment reactor and is post-treated therein. The polymer dispersion within the post-treatment reactor is conveyed, simultaneously to the post-treatment, to a circuit for filtration and analysis and is then subsequently fed back into the post-treatment reactor.

Disclosed herein is a system for solution polymerization comprising a reactor system that is operative to receive an anti-solvent, a monomer, and a solvent, and to react the monomer to form a polymer; where the anti-solvent is not a solvent for the polymer and is operative to reduce the lower critical solution temperature; a plurality of devolatilization vessels located downstream of the reactor system, where each devolatilization vessel operates at a lower pressure than the preceding devolatilization vessel and wherein the plurality of devolatilization vessels receives a polymer solution from the reactor system; and a liquid-liquid separator that is operative to receive a polymer solution from the reactor system and to facilitate a separation between the polymer and volatiles by reducing the pressure and temperature of the polymer solution in the liquid-liquid separator.