Catalyst component
View Patent ↗The invention refers to a process for preparing a Group 2 metal/transition metal olefin polymerisation catalyst component in particulate form free of conventional phthalate electron donors and the use thereof in a process for polymerising olefins.
1. Process for preparing a particulate olefin polymerisation catalyst component said process comprising the steps of:
a) providing a solution of at least one Complex A being a complex of a Group 2 metal compound and a monohydric alcohol comprising in addition to the hydroxyl moiety at least one further oxygen bearing moiety being different to a hydroxyl moiety optionally in an organic liquid reaction medium;
b) adding said solution to at least one compound of a transition metal and producing an emulsion the dispersed phase of which contains more than 50-mol % of the Group 2 metal;
c) agitating the emulsion in order to maintain the droplets of said dispersed phase preferably within an average size range of 5 to 200 μm;
d) solidifying said droplets of the dispersed phase;
e) recovering the solidified particles of the olefin polymerization catalyst component,
and wherein an electron donor is added at any step prior to step c) and said electron donor is non-phthalic acid ester.
2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a solution of at least one Complex A further includes providing a solution of at least one Complex B being a complex of a Group 2 metal compound and an alcohol not comprising any other oxygen bearing moiety being different to a hydroxyl moiety optionally in an organic liquid reaction medium so as to obtain a solution of a mixture of said at least one Complex A and said at least one Complex B; and optionally adding a donor into the solution of complex mixture.
3. The process of claim 1 , further comprising washing said solidified particles prior to recovering in step e).
4. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the electron donor is selected from diesters of non-phthalic carboxylic diacids and esters of carboxylic monoacids and derivatives and mixtures thereof.
5. A process according to claim 4 , wherein ester moieties of the diesters of non-phthalic carboxylic diacids and esters of carboxylic monoacids may be identical or different, and are linear or branched aliphatic groups having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, or aromatic groups having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, optionally containing heteroatoms of Groups 14 to 17 of the Periodic Table of IUPAC, and an acid moiety of the diesters of non-phthalic dicarboxylic acids and esters of carboxylic monoacids comprises 1 to 30 carbon atoms, optionally being substituted by aromatic or saturated or non-saturated cyclic or aliphatic hydrocarbyls having 1 to 20 C, and optionally containing heteroatoms of Groups 14 to 17 of the Periodic Table of IUPAC.
6. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the non-phthalic diacid ester is a diester of a non-phthalic carboxylic diacid.
7. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the monohydric alcohol comprising in addition to the hydroxyl moiety at least one further oxygen bearing moiety being different to a hydroxyl moiety is an alcohol bearing an ether group.
8. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the Complex A of Group 2 metal is prepared by reacting a compound of Group 2 metal with the monohydric alcohol comprising in addition to the hydroxyl moiety at least one further oxygen bearing moiety being different to a hydroxyl moiety in an organic liquid medium.
9. A process according to claim 2 , wherein the complex B of Group 2 metal is prepared by reacting a compound of Group 2 metal with the alcohol not comprising in addition to the hydroxyl moiety at least one further oxygen bearing moiety being different to a hydroxyl moiety in an organic liquid medium.
10. A process according to claim 2 wherein the molar ratio of complexes A and B in the solution is from 10:1 to 1:10.
11. A process according to claim 1 , wherein said Group 2 metal is magnesium.
12. A process according to claim 1 , wherein said transition metal is a Group 4 metal and/or Group 5 metal.
13. Particles of the catalyst component obtained according to the process of claim 1 .
14. An olefin polymerization catalyst comprising particles of a catalyst component and a co-catalyst, said component obtained by a process comprising the steps of:
a) providing a solution of at least one Complex A being a complex of a Group 2 metal compound and a monohydric alcohol comprising in addition to the hydroxyl moiety at least one further oxygen bearing moiety being different to a hydroxyl moiety optionally in an organic liquid reaction medium;
b) adding said solution to at least one compound of a transition metal and producing an emulsion the dispersed phase of which contains more than 50-mol % of the Group 2 metal;
c) agitating the emulsion in order to maintain the droplets of said dispersed phase preferably within an average size range of 5 to 200 μm;
d) solidifying said droplets of the dispersed phase;
e) recovering the solidified particles of the olefin polymerization catalyst component,
and wherein an electron donor is added at any step prior to step c) and said electron donor is non-phthalic acid ester.
15. An olefin polymerization catalyst according to claim 14 , for polymerizing olefins, optionally with co-monomers, selected from C 2 to C 12 monomers.
16. A process according to claim 4 , wherein ester moieties of the diesters of non-phthalic carboxylic diacids and esters of carboxylic monoacids may be identical or different, and are linear or branched aliphatic groups having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms, or aromatic groups having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, optionally containing heteroatoms N, O, S and/or P, and an acid moiety of the diesters of non-phthalic dicarboxylic acids and esters of carboxylic monoacids comprises 2 to 16 carbon atoms, optionally being substituted by aromatic or saturated or non-saturated cyclic or aliphatic hydrocarbyls having 1to 10 carbon atoms and optionally containing heteroatoms of N, O, S and/or P.
17. A process according to claim 4 , wherein ester moieties of the diesters of non-phthalic carboxylic diacids and esters of carboxylic monoacids may be identical or different, and are linear or branched aliphatic groups having from 2 to 16 carbon atoms, or aromatic groups having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, optionally containing heteroatoms of the Periodic Table of IUPAC, and an acid moiety of the diesters of non-phthalic dicarboxylic acids and esters of carboxylic monoacids comprises 2 to 20 carbon atoms, optionally being substituted by aromatic or saturated or non-saturated cyclic or aliphatic hydrocarbyls having 1 to 20 carbon atoms and optionally containing heteroatoms of Groups 14 to 17 of the Periodic Table of IUPAC.
18. A process according to claim 1 , wherein said transition metal is Ti.
19. An olefin polymerization catalyst according to claim 14 , wherein said co-catalyst is an alkyl or alkoxy aluminum co-catalyst and optionally an external electron donor.
20. An olefin polymerization catalyst according to claim 14 , used for polymerizing C 2 to C 10 α-olefins, optionally with co-monomers, selected from C 2 to C 12 monomers.