Polymer synthesis

Within API Emmen laboratory-scale equipment is available to produce polyester-like materials in a 1 kg one-reactor glass vessel. This kind of batch-type operation allows researchers to study several process parameters (e.g. foaming, discoloration, the use of non-antimony type of catalysts, and the influence of additives on the polymerization).

For a more detailed process and/or product development of polyester-like materials, a 35 kg two-vessel autoclave is available too. Polyesters can be produced starting from both dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) or purified terephthalic acid (PTA). In addition, equipment for drying and/or solid stating (SSP) of polyester-like materials comes in several sizes, from a gram-scale operation to a 75 kg-scale operation.

Several kinds of polyester-like materials can be produced and studied using the pilot plant autoclaves. These include:

• Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN);
• Polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) and polytrimethylene naphthalate (PTN);
• Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and polybutylene naphthalate (PBN);
• Polyetheresters, i.e. polyesters containing either polyethyleneglycol, polypropyleneglycol, or polytetramethyleneglycol;
• Polyesters or copolyesters containing all kinds of other comonomers (e.g. phosphorus-containing comonomers for flame-retardancy), additives (e.g. carbon black, nano-particles) or other catalyst systems (e.g. non-antimony-based catalyst systems).
  

Contact API Institute 

API Institute
Postbus 2250
7801 CG Emmen
Eerste Bokslootweg 17
7821 AT Emmen
The Netherlands

T +31 (0) 591 69 2117
F +31 (0) 591 69 3456
E info@api-institute.com