Effect of Initiator Rate on Kinetics of Reaction and PVC Grains Features in Continuous Dosing of Fast Initiator During Vinyl Chloride Suspension Polymerization

Abstract

In order to investigate how the continuous dosage of a fast initiator can affect the kinetics of polymerization and the properties of PVC grains, a series of vinyl chloride monomer suspension polymerization experiments were carried out in which a fast initiator was dosed into the reactor in different ways (non‐continuous, intermittent, and continuous) and different rates. It was found that in the case of polymerization with continuous dosage of the fast initiator, the polymerization time decreased and critical conversion increased with increasing in the initiator dosage level. While the molecular weight of the final PVC was only slightly decreased. Morphological analysis showed that the porosity and particles size increased with initiator dosage level, while the bulk density was also decreased. Other methods of initiator dosing, i.e., intermittent and non‐continuous dosage of the fast initiator reduced the efficiency of the fast initiator compared to the corresponding continuous dosage polymerization at the same initiator value. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 24:367–375, 2018. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers