Method for alcoholysis of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-containing polycarbonate compositions

US8680226B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• SAUDI BASIC INDUSTRIES CORPORATION · SA

Inventors

• Philip Wesley Bell · Mount Vernon, US
• Alexander Stanislaus · Kanchinakote, IN
• Venkata Ramanarayanan Ganapathy Bhotla · Bengaluru, IN
• Tukaram Gunale · Bengaluru, IN
• Darshan Jayanna · Gubbi, IN

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 21, 2012
• Grant date: Mar 25, 2014
• Expiry date: Dec 21, 2032

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02W30/62
• WIPO field: Macromolecular chemistry, polymers
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The disclosure provides a method for recovering a dihydroxy aromatic compound and a dialkyl carbonate from a polycarbonate-containing composition comprising a polycarbonate and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene. The method comprises heating the composition in the presence of an alcohol and a transesterification catalyst at a temperature of 70° C. to 200° C. and a pressure of 50 mbar to 40 bar in a reactor for a time sufficient to depolymerize the polycarbonate producing a dihydroxy aromatic compound and a dialkyl carbonate; removing the dihydroxy aromatic compound and the dialkyl carbonate from the reactor, the acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene remaining as a coating on the surfaces of the reactor; adding a solvent to the reactor; and heating the solvent to remove the acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene from the surfaces of the reactor.