# US 10,370,468 B2 · Saponified ethylene-vinyl ester-based copolymer pellet and producing method therefor

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 10,370,468 B2
- Document ID: US10370468B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/761,641
- Filed: 2016-10-11
- Published: 2018-12-06
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2015-10-28
- Assignees: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
- Applicants: The Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Shinichi Hori; Nobuyuki Yamamoto; Takuya Nakajima
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10370468B2

## CPC

- C08F 210/02: Ethene
- B29B 9/16: Auxiliary treatment of granules
- C08F 8/42: Introducing metal atoms or metal-containing groups
- C08K 3/38: Boron-containing compounds
- C08L 29/04: Polyvinyl alcohol; Partially hydrolysed homopolymers or copolymers of esters of unsaturated alcohols with saturated carboxylic acids
- B29B 2009/163: {Coating, i.e. applying a layer of liquid or solid material on the granule}
- B29K 2023/086: {EVOH, i.e. ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer}
- C08F: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS
- B29B: PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS
- C08K: Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients (paints, inks, varnishes, dyes, polishes, adhesives C09)
- C08L: COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS (compositions based on polymerisable monomers C08F, C08G; artificial filaments or fibres D01F; textile treating compositions D06)
- B29K: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR {MOULDS, } REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS

## Abstract

Provided is EVOH resin pellet capable of suppressing the occurrence of fish eye even in a resultant monolayer film, and the method for producing the same. The EVOH resin pellet contains a boron compound and the boron amount in a surface portion of the pellet is 1.7 ppm or less. After the EVOH resin pellet is made to contain the boron compound, the EVOH resin pellet is rinsed with a mixture of water and alcohol so that the amount of the boron compound in a surface portion can be reduced.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A pellet, comprising: a saponified ethylene-vinyl ester-based copolymer pellet; and a boron compound; wherein a surface portion of the pellet contains 1.7 ppm or less of boron; wherein a total amount of boron in the pellet is 10 to 1000 ppm.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The pellet according to claim 1, wherein a weight ratio of the boron contained in the surface portion of the pellet to a total amount of boron in the pellet is 1.38×10−2 or less.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The pellet according to claim 1, further comprising water in an amount of 0.01 to 1 wt % based on a total weight of the pellet.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A plurality of pellets, comprising at least one pellet according to claim 1.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A plurality of saponified ethylene-vinyl ester-based copolymer pellets, comprising at least one pellet according to claim 1.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A method for producing the pellet according to claim 1, comprising:
contacting a pellet comprising a saponified ethylene-vinyl ester-based copolymer and a boron compound with a mixture of water and alcohol having a ratio of water to alcohol of 80/20 to 0/100, until an amount of the boron compound in a surface portion of the pellet is 1.7 ppm or less.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method according to claim 6, further comprising drying the pellet after contacting it with the mixture of water and alcohol;
wherein the pellet is a porous pellet.