Polymers, removal from purified systems

In the 1970s, Solvay iatroduced an advanced TiCl catalyst with high activity and stereoregulahty (6). When this catalyst was utilized ia Hquid monomer processes, the level of atactic polymer was sufftciendy low so that its removal from the product was not required. Catalyst residues were also reduced so that simplified systems for post-reactor treatment were acceptable. Sumitomo has developed a Hquid monomer process, used by Exxon (United States), ia which polymer slurry is washed ia a countercurrent column with fresh monomer and alcohol to provide highly purified polymer (128). 

Interesting peculiarities of mass transfer processes are observed in fine membranes permeable to ions but impermeable to colloidal particles (semipermeable membranes, e.g. collodium film). If such a membrane separates colloidal system or polyelectrolyte solution from pure dispersion medium, some ions pass through the membrane into the dispersion medium. Under the steady-state conditions the so-called Donnan equilibrium is established. By repeatedly replacing the dispersion medium behind the membrane, one can remove electrolytes from a disperse system. This method of purifying disperse systems and polymer solutions from dissolved electrolytes is referred to as the dialysis. 

A general problem that is specific for the two-phase extraction technique is the removal of polymers from the purified protein. In the case of PEG-salt systems, a general strategy has been to extract one protein to the PEG-rich phase and then replace the salt phase by a fresh salt phase under conditions in which the protein prefers the salt phase. This phase is then separated and the salt removed by... 

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