Industrialized Production Of Chlorosulfonated Polyethylene By Mixed Solvent

Chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSM) rubber, derived from low density polyethylene or high density polyethylene through chlorination and chlorosulfonation reactions, has many superior properties, such as ozone resistance, good color stability under sunlight, good coloring, oil, heat and oxidation resistance, weather resistance, corrosion resistance, flame resistance, abrasion resistance and toughness. In addition, CSM has many applications in wire and cable, waterproofing membrane, automobile, etc. As the only production unit for CSM in China, the chlorosulfonation plant of Jilin Petrochemical Company has recently been restricted by some environmental factors, and the predominant factor is that the amount of carbon tetrachloride used as a solvent is strictly restricted, which in turn greatly prevent the increase of product yield. In order to find out an alternative solvent to carbon tetrachloride, the production of CSM with different mixed solvents were investigated in this work at three scales, i.e., laboratory-scale, pilot-scale and industry-scale. The alternative solvents suitable for CSM production were obtained, and the optimal operation condition was also determined. Furthermore, some effective methods were proposed to deal with problems related with mixed solvent and product quality, which made for the successful production of CSM by mixed solvent. Upon adopting the alternative mixed solvent, the consumption of carbon tetrachloride decreased dramatically from160kg/t to80kg/t, while the product yield increased from1000t/a to2000t/a, which was estimated to increase the annual profit by6million RMB. The product quality was gradually increased and accordingly, the competition of CSM of Jilin Petrochemical Company was improved.