Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Polyketones and polysulfones for conservation in the ethylene polymer market

Conference ·
OSTI ID:7356841
Because of the increase in cost of foreign oil, ethylene costs have increased markedly within the last several years. There is a sizable incentive to reduce raw material cost for basic polymer manufacture. Polyketones, synthesized from ethylene and CO, and polysulfones, synthesized from ethylene and SO/sub 2/, utilizing high energy radiation, offers one such possibility. CO and SO/sub 2/, usually considered as wastes and pollutants from fossil fuel burning power plants, are converted to useful materials. The polyketones and polysulfones formed from the gas phase below 100/sup 0/C have found to be high molecular weight polymers which, depending on composition, either melt with difficulty, or decompose at temperatures of 250/sup 0/C or higher. The higher temperature (greater than 100/sup 0/C) catalyzed reaction produces low molecular weight waxes. Design calculations indicate that for a G value of 10,000 and 50 percent energy deposition efficiency, it would take 331 MCi of /sup 60/Co to conserve 2 billion pounds of ethylene or 25 percent of the overall U. S. consumption in the PE market by substituting CO and SO/sub 2/. This savings amounts to as much as $280 million at today's market price. Electron machine radiation with a 25 percent energy deposition efficiency requires a total beam power of 9800 kW. (DLC)
Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, N.Y. (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
E(30-1)-16
OSTI ID:
7356841
Report Number(s):
BNL-21341; CONF-760823-5
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English