Chlorine-Containing Polymer Composition Comprising a Chlorine-Containing Polymer and a Wax Comprising a Fraction Consisting of Oxidized Hydrocarbons and a Fraction Consisting of Non-Oxidized Hydrocarbons, Method of Processing the Polymer Composition and the Use of the Wax as External Lubricant During the Polymer Processing

Abstract

The present invention encompasses chlorine-containing polymer compositions having a fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons and a fraction consisting of non-oxidized hydrocarbons. Both fractions have an average number of carbon atoms per molecule between 40 and 100 carbon atoms and an amount of molecules in which the carbon chain is linear of more than 75 wt. %.

Claims

1. A chlorine-containing polymer composition comprising: a chlorine-containing polymer; and a wax comprising a fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons; and a fraction consisting of non-oxidized hydrocarbons, wherein both fractions have an average number of carbon atoms (number average) per molecule between 40 to 100 carbon atoms; and an amount of molecules in which the carbon chain is linear of more than 75 wt.-%.

2. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1 wherein the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons has an acid value according to ASTM 1386/7 of 50 to 70 mg KOH/g.

3. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1, wherein both fractions are Fischer-Tropsch waxes.

4. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1, wherein the average number of carbon atoms (number average) per molecule of the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons and/or the fraction consisting of the non-oxidized hydrocarbons is between 45 to 80 carbon atoms.

5. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1, wherein the average molecular weight of the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons and/or the fraction consisting of the non-oxidized hydrocarbons is below 1000 g/mol.

6. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1, wherein the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons and/or the fraction consisting of the non-oxidized hydrocarbons have a distribution of molecules in the range of 30 to 80 carbon atoms, wherein the number of molecules is either increasing or decreasing for at least two consecutive numbers of additional carbon atoms per molecule.

7. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1, wherein the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons and/or the fraction consisting of the non-oxidized hydrocarbons have more than 45 wt. % of molecules with an odd number of carbon atoms.

8. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1, wherein the branched molecules of the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons and/or the fraction consisting of the non-oxidized hydrocarbons have more than 10 wt.-% methyl branches and/or no quaternary carbon atoms.

9. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1, wherein the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons and/or the fraction consisting of the non-oxidized hydrocarbons consist of methyl as monomer building block.

10. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1, wherein the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons and/or the fraction consisting of the non-oxidized hydrocarbons have an amount of molecules in which the carbon chain is linear of more than 80 wt. %.

11. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1, wherein the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons and/or the fraction consisting of the non-oxidized hydrocarbons have a viscosity according to ASTM D445-11 at 140? C. of below 20 cps.

12. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1, wherein each molecule of the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons has one or more hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxylate or lactone moiety.

13. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1, wherein it comprises 2 to 15 wt.-% of the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons, relative to the sum of the wax comprising the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons and the fraction consisting of non-oxidized hydrocarbons present in the composition.

14. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1, wherein the wax comprising the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons and the fraction consisting of non-oxidized hydrocarbons is defined by an acid value according to ASTM 1386/7 of 2 to 14 mg KOH/g.

15. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1, wherein the congealing point according to ASTM D 938 of the wax comprising the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons and the fraction consisting of non-oxidized hydrocarbons is between 90 to 110? C.

16. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1, comprising 0.1 to 1 phr of the wax comprising the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons and the fraction consisting of non-oxidized hydrocarbons together.

17. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1, wherein the chlorine-containing polymer is polyvinylchloride.

18. The chlorine-containing polymer composition according to claim 1 comprising 0.1 to 5 phr other additives selected from the group of calcium stearate, polyethylene wax, titanium dioxide, tin, calcium/zinc, lead, organic based stabilizer, or combinations thereof.

19. A method of processing a chlorine-containing polymer composition, comprising the steps of mixing a chlorine-containing polymer with the wax comprising the fraction consisting of oxidized hydrocarbons and the fraction consisting of non-oxidized hydrocarbons as claimed in claim 1; and extruding the mixture.

20-21. (canceled)

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein said wax is in the amount of 0.1 to 2.5 phr.

Description

EXAMPLES

[0061] Different waxes and wax mixtures (table 1+2) were tested in a Brabender Plasticorder Lab station to evaluate the PVC processing properties. All three heating zones 1, 2, 3 were set at 180? C. The mixer heat speed was 70 rpm and the pressure of the pressure ram was 2 bar.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Properties of different waxes used in PVC (* determined by GPC, .sup.# determined and calculated from GC with EWF Method 001/03, .sup.x determined by .sup.13C-NMR) Oxidized Oxidized Oxidized FT-wax Paraffin wax PE-wax PE-wax Sasolwax Rheolube BASF Honeywell FT-wax A28 RL165 Luwax OA2 AC629 Sasolwax H1 Congealing Point 95 68 98 101 97 [? C.] Pen at 25? C. 3.8 15 2 6 1 [1/10 mm] Acid value 29 0.92 31 18 <0.1 [mg KOH/g] Average carbon 55 55 chain length [carbon atoms] Amount of 48.0% 21.4% fraction of oxidized hydrocarbons Average 900* 2800 >1000 880* molecular weight 733.sup.# [g/mol] 866.sup.x 1910.sup.x 1808.sup.x Amount of 0.68 0.98 1.35 branching.sup.x [mol %] Type of Methyl Aliphatic Aliphatic Methyl Branching (ethyl to (ethyl to hexyl) hexyl) Further molecular No Quaternary Quaternary No characteristics.sup.x quaternary carbon carbon quaternary carbon atoms with atoms with carbon atoms two ethyl or two ethyl or atoms one ethyl one ethyl and one and one butyl group butyl group on the on the same same carbon carbon atoms atoms Monomer Methyl Ethyl Ethyl Methyl building block Viscosity 15.5 2.25 149 206 9.6 @140? C. [cps]

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Properties of different waxes and wax mixtures used in PVC Oxidized Oxidized Oxidized Comp. A Comp. B FT-wax FT-wax FT-wax 87.5% H1 + 87.5% H1 + Inv. A Inv. B Inv. C 12.5% OA2 12.5% AC629 Congealing Point 100 100 102 100 99 [? C.] Pen at 25? C. 1 1 1 1 1 [1/10 mm] Acid value 14 2.6 5.6 2.23 3.14 [mg KOH/g] Amount of 24% 4.8% 9.6% 2.7% fraction of oxidized hydrocarbons Average carbon 55 55 55 chain length [carbon atoms] Average 800-1000 800-1000 800-1000 molecular weight [g/mol] Viscosity 14.8 13.4 13.6 13 13.2 @140? C. [cps]

[0062] The gel permeation chromatography (GPC) may result in higher molecular weight data as longer molecules can be determined compared to gas chromatography-methods (GC).

[0063] The PVC formulation used for the tests was as follows:

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 PVC-composition used for the Brabender tests Materials phr PVC 100 Tin stabilizer 0.4 CaCO.sub.3 4 TiO.sub.2 0.26 Calcium stearate 0.4 Wax 0.8

[0064] The materials were pre-mixed in a Henschel high speed mixer while heating to 120? C. Once cooled to ambient temperature, a sample was taken for fusion time/torque measurement on the Brabender according to ASTM D 2538 (see results in table 4).

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Fusion times and fusion torques determined with different waxes in the PVC composition Wax in PVC Composition Fusion Time [s] Fusion Torque [Nm] Sasolwax A28 42.5 51.0 Rheolube RL165 81 48.0 Sasolwax H1 101 41.7 Inv. A 109 41.1 Inv. B 114.5 39.1 Inv. C 125 38.6 Comp. A 203 35.8 Comp. B 177 36.8

[0065] The inventive poly vinyl-compositions show lower fusion torques and reasonable fusion times which results in a faster and improved processability thereof compared to the state of the art products.

[0066] In a further experiment PVC formulations comprising lubricants according to the table 5 have been mixed and used to produce white 1 pipes according to pressure schedule 40 of ASTM D2466 by extrusion in a parallel twin screw extruder with a motor speed of 1.700 rpm (results table 6).

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Different PVC-compositions for pipe production [phr] PVC comp. 1 PVC comp. 2 PVC comp. 3 PVC resin 100 100 100 Tin stabilizer 0.5 0.5 0.5 Wax Inv. B 1.0 Inv. C 0.6 0.85 AC 629 0.12 Calcium 0.65 1.0 0.6 stearate Process aid 1.0 Calcium 5.0 5.0 5.0 carbonate Titanium 0.5 0.5 0.5 Dioxide

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Data of pipe production and pipe products Pipe 1 Pipe 2 Pipe 3 PVC composition 1 2 3 Output [kg/h] 498 485 528

[0067] The experiments resulted in pipes with an excellent quality and appearance and allowed a significant reduction of the required amount of lubricant (from usually 1.5 phr paraffin wax to 1.12 phr wax according to the invention in pipe 1 and 0.6 phr and 0.85 phr wax in pipes 2 and 3). Furthermore the preferred wax composition C allowed pipe extrusion without any oxidized polyethylene wax as used in the prior art.

[0068] Either the output of the pipe during the extrusion process could be increased, the amount of lubricant be decreased or both, which refers to an increased efficiency of the lubricant in the PVC composition.