# US 11,898,019 B2 · Methods for processing polyolefins

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- Number: US 11,898,019 B2
- Document ID: US11898019B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/583,643
- Filed: 2022-01-25
- Published: 2023-07-27
- Granted: 2024-02-13
- Earliest claimed: 2022-01-25
- Assignees: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
- Applicants: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
- Inventors: Douglas Theberge; Seth Sharber
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11898019B2

## CPC

- C08J 7/12: Chemical modification
- B01J 21/04: Alumina
- B01J 29/04: having base-exchange properties, e.g. crystalline zeolites {(B01J29/005 takes precedence)}
- B01J 29/084: {Y-type faujasite}
- B01J 29/18: of the mordenite type
- B01J 29/7015: {CHA-type, e.g. Chabazite, LZ-218}
- B01J 29/80: Mixtures of different zeolites
- C08F 8/00: Chemical modification by after-treatment (graft polymers, block polymers, crosslinking with unsaturated monomers or with polymers C08F251/00 - C08F299/00; of conjugated diene rubbers C08C)
- C08J 11/16: by treatment with inorganic material (C08J11/14 takes precedence)
- C08J 2323/00: Characterised by the use of homopolymers or copolymers of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond; Derivatives of such polymers
- C08J 2323/06: Polyethene
- C08J 2323/12: Polypropene
- C08J: WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H (working, e.g. shaping, of plastics B29)
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- C08F: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS

## Abstract

A method for processing polyolefins may include contacting solid polyolefins with a solid catalyst to form a reaction mixture. The solid catalyst may be chosen from a zeolite, a microporous aluminosilicate, an alumina, or combinations thereof. The solid polyolefins may be chosen from polyethylene, polypropylene, or combinations thereof. The method may include mechanically agitating the reaction mixture to produce olefin-containing hydrocarbon polymers and separating the olefin-containing hydrocarbon polymers from the solid catalyst. The olefin-containing hydrocarbon polymers include a carbon-carbon double bond in the backbone of the hydrocarbon polymers.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for processing polyolefins, the method comprising:
contacting solid polyolefins with a solid catalyst to form a reaction mixture, wherein the solid catalyst is chosen from a zeolite, a microporous aluminosilicate, an alumina, or combinations thereof, and wherein the solid polyolefins are chosen from polyethylene, polypropylene, or combinations thereof;
mechanically agitating the reaction mixture to produce olefin-containing hydrocarbon polymers, wherein the olefin-containing hydrocarbon polymers comprise a carbon-carbon double bond in the backbone of the hydrocarbon polymers; and
separating the olefin-containing hydrocarbon polymers from the solid catalyst.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the solid polyolefins comprise polyethylene.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the solid polyolefins comprise polypropylene.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein mechanically agitating comprises milling.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein mechanically agitating comprises extruding.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the reaction mixture consists essentially of solids.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a mass ratio of the solid polyolefins to the catalyst is from 1:100 to 15:100.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein mechanically agitating the reaction mixture occurs for a period of time from 1 hour to 12 hours.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein mechanically agitating the reaction mixture occurs at a temperature of less than or equal to 100° C.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein contacting the solid polyolefins and the catalyst occurs at a temperature less than a melting point of the solid polyolefins.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein mechanically agitating the reaction mixture occurs in a mechanical agitation device and the mechanical agitation device is a ball mill or a twin screw extruder.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the solid catalyst comprises the zeolite.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the zeolite is a USY zeolite, a HZSM-5 zeolite, a CHA zeolite, or combinations thereof.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the solid catalyst comprises the microporous aluminosilicate.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the microporous aluminosilicate has a silica to alumina ratio from 20 to 30.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the solid catalyst comprises the alumina.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein separating the olefin-containing hydrocarbon polymers from the catalyst comprises extracting the olefin-containing hydrocarbon polymers using a non-polar solvent.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the non-polar solvent comprises hexane, toluene, or combinations thereof.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the solid polyolefins have an average molecular weight and the olefin-containing hydrocarbon polymers have an average molecular weight and the average molecular weight of the solid polyolefins is greater than the average molecular weight of the olefin-containing hydrocarbon polymers.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the solid polyolefins have an average molecular weight and the olefin-containing hydrocarbon polymers have an average molecular weight and the average molecular weight of the olefin-containing hydrocarbon polymers is at least 25% less than the average molecular weight of the solid polyolefins.