# US 2018/0022868 A1 · Aliphatic polyester composition, molded product, and manufacturing method of aliphatic polyester

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- Number: US 2018/0022868 A1
- Document ID: US20180022868A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/548,453
- Filed: 2016-03-28
- Published: 2018-01-25
- Earliest claimed: 2015-03-30
- Assignees: Kureha Corporation
- Applicants: Kureha Corporation
- Inventors: HIROYUKI SATO; TAKAHIRO WATANABE; FUMINORI KOBAYASHI
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180022868A1

## CPC

- C08G 63/85: Germanium, tin, lead, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, or compounds thereof {(C08G63/823 takes precedence)}
- C08G 63/08: Lactones or lactides
- C08G 63/78: Preparation processes
- C08J 5/00: Manufacture of articles or shaped materials containing macromolecular substances (manufacture of semi-permeable membranes B01D67/00 - B01D71/00)
- C08J 5/18: Manufacture of films or sheets
- C08J 2367/00: Characterised by the use of polyesters obtained by reactions forming a carboxylic ester link in the main chain; Derivatives of such polymers
- D01F 6/62: from polyesters
- C08G: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS
- 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)
- D01F: CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS

## Abstract

A method of continuously manufacturing an aliphatic polyester composition from a cyclic ester and the like, wherein the temperature in an extruder is increased in two or more stages from a raw material supply port to a discharge port, the temperature at the discharge port is a temperature where the melt viscosity of the composition at the discharge port is from 100 to 2000 Pa·s, the free acid concentration in the cyclic ester is 10 eq/t or less, and the unreacted cyclic ester concentration in the composition is less than 2 wt. %.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of continuously manufacturing an aliphatic polyester composition, comprising a step of supplying a cyclic ester, molecular weight adjusting agent, and polymerization catalyst to an extruder and then polymerizing in the extruder; wherein
the temperature in the extruder is gradually increased in two or more stages from a raw material supply port to a discharge port,
the temperature at the discharge port is a temperature where the melt viscosity of the composition at the discharge port is from 100 to 2000 Pa·s,
the free acid concentration in the cyclic ester is 10 eq/t or less, and
the unreacted cyclic ester concentration in the aliphatic polyester composition is less than 2 wt. %.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing an aliphatic polyester composition according to claim 1, wherein the aliphatic polyester composition is a polyglycolic acid composition, polylactic acid composition, or polycaprolactone composition.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing an aliphatic polyester composition according to claim 1, wherein the aliphatic polyester composition is a polyglycolic acid composition.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing an aliphatic polyester composition according to claim 1, wherein the molecular weight of the aliphatic polyester is from 100000 to 250000.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing an aliphatic polyester composition according to claim 1, wherein the amount of the polymerization catalyst with regard to the cyclic ester is less than 600 ppm by mass ratio.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing an aliphatic polyester composition according to claim 1, wherein the molecular weight adjusting agent is a dihydric alcohol or higher.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing an aliphatic polyester composition according to claim 1, further comprising a step of maintaining the aliphatic polyester composition discharged from the discharge port at a temperature higher than the melting point of the cyclic ester and lower than the melting point −20° C. of the aliphatic polyester.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing an aliphatic polyester molded product, comprising a step of molding the aliphatic polyester composition manufactured by the method of manufacturing an aliphatic polyester composition according to claim 1 into a fibrous form, sheet form, film form, rod form, plate form, or pellet form.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of manufacturing an aliphatic polyester molded product according to claim 8, further comprising a step of maintaining the aliphatic polyester molded product discharged from the discharge port at a temperature higher than the melting point of the cyclic polyester and a temperature lower than the melting point −20° C. of the cyclic polyester.

### Claim 10

A method of continuously manufacturing an aliphatic polyester, comprising a step of supplying a cyclic ester, molecular weight adjusting agent, and polymerization catalyst to an extruder and then polymerizing in the extruder;
wherein
the temperature in the extruder is gradually increased in two or more stages from a raw material supply port to a discharge port,
the temperature at the discharge port is a temperature where the melt viscosity of the aliphatic polyester at the discharge port is from 100 to 2000 Pa·s,
the free acid concentration in the cyclic ester is 10 eq/t or less, and
the unreacted cyclic ester concentration in the aliphatic polyester is less than 2 wt. %.