Method for producing polar group-containing olefin copolymers

A method of producing a polymer in the method for producing a copolymer of olefin and a polar group-containing monomer represented by formula (1):

• C(R1)2═C(R1)(C(R1)2)nR2 (1)
• (in the formula, three to five R1's may be identical to each other or different from each other, each representing a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms;
• R2 represents —OR2-1, —SR2-1, —OCOR2-1 where R2-1 represents a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, —N(R2-2)2 where two R2-2's may be identical to each other or different from each other, each representing a hydrogen atom, a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, —COR2-3, or —COOR2-3 where R2-3 represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, or a halogen atom;
• and n represents 0 or 1), the method comprising using a complex of a metal in Group 10 of the periodic table as a catalyst;
• and supplying a catalyst solution separated from a polymer after the polymerization reaction to a polymerization reaction system to recycle and re-use the catalyst,
• wherein the catalyst made of the complex of the metal in Group 10 of the periodic table is represented by formula (C1):
• (in the formula, M represents a metal atom in Group 10 of the periodic table;
• L1 represents a group having a nitrogen atom (N), a phosphorus atom (P), or an arsenic atom (As) and bonded to M at the atom;
• L2 represents a group having an oxygen atom (O) or a sulfur atom (S) and bonded to M at the atom;
• L3 represents an electron-donating ligand;
• and R3 represents a hydrogen atom, an acyloxy group, or a hydrocarbon group which has 1 to 30 carbon atoms and which may be substituted by one or more groups selected from a halogen atom, an alkoxy group, an aryloxy group and an acyloxy group);
• and
• wherein the polymer is separated out of the catalyst solution by using a solid-liquid separator selected from the group consisting of a centrifugation separator and a filtration separator.