Process for the preparation of fast reheat (FRH) bottle grade polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) resin

A process for the preparation of fast reheat polyethylene terephthalate resin, said process comprising:

• a) dispersing micron-sized carbon black in monoethylene glycol in the presence of one or more dispersing agents and adding nano-sized particles of ferric oxide and metallic antimony to obtain a mixed carbon slurry,
• b) preparing a raw material slurry of pure terepthalic acid, mono ethylene glycol, isopthalic acid in the presence of a polymerisation catalyst and one or more color toners,
• c) adding the carbon slurry to said raw material slurry to obtain an addition mixture,
• d) esterifying the addition mixture in an esterification reactor under controlled degree of polymerisation to obtain a pre-polymer,
• e) retaining a portion of said pre-polymer as pre-polymer heel in said reactor for subsequent batch reactions,
• f) polymerising the pre-polymer with an enhanced degree of polymerization, reduced pressure and temperature to obtain a polymer melt,
• g) stabilizing said polymer melt by adding at least a heat a stabilizing additive,
• h) extruding and converting the polymer melt to form amorphous pellets under nitrogen pressure and
• i) performing solid-state polymerization to obtain fast reheat polyethylene terepthalate resin.