Zinc peroxide process

A process for the production of a mixture of butadiene-acrylonitrile polymer and zinc peroxide which comprises:

• (I) forming an aqueous mixture in a reactor equipped with means for agitation and means for temperature control, said aqueous mixture comprising (a) from about 15 to about 30 weight percent of zinc oxide made by the French Process being at least about 99 weight percent pure and having an average particle size of from about 0.1 to about 0.5 micron, (b) from about 0.0075 to about 0.2 parts by weight of sulphuric acid per part by weight of zinc oxide, (c) from about 1 to about 5 moles of hydrogen peroxide per mole of zinc oxide, and (d) the balance to 100 weight percent being water, said aqueous mixture being formed by adding said zinc oxide to a preformed mixture in said reactor of said sulphuric acid, said hydrogen peroxide and said water while maintaining the contents of said reactor in an agitated condition and at a temperature of from about 20.degree. to about 35.degree. C. throughout the addition of said zinc oxide and then for a further time of from about 1 to about 4 hours, thereby producing an aqueous slurry of a mixture of zinc peroxide and zinc oxide containing less than about 0.05 weight percent of residual hydrogen peroxide;
• and (II) transferring said aqueous slurry to a mixing vessel, adding thereto and mixing therewith a stream of an aqueous latex of a butadiene-acrylonitrile polymer, said polymer containing from about 20 to about 45 weight percent acrylonitrile and having a molecular weight characterized by a Mooney (ML 1+4 at 100.degree. C.) of from about 35 to about 65, contacting the resulting mixture with an aqueous stream of calcium chloride to coagulate said mixture, separating said coagulated product from the aqueous phase, recovering and drying said product to a water content of less than about 1 weight percent to yield a final product containing from about 48 to about 57 weight percent of said polymer and from about 43 to about 52 weight percent of said mixture of zinc peroxide and zinc oxide wherein said final product contains at least about 27.5 weight percent zinc peroxide.