Recovery of rubberlike polymer from a latex

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF UNREACTED MONOMERS FROM A LATEX TO RECOVER THEREFROM A SOLID RUBBERY POLYMER FREE FROM MONOMERIC MATERIALS, SAID LATEX HAVING BEEN FORMED IRON AN AQUEOUS EMULSION POLYMERIZATION RECIPE UTILIZING AS THE AQUEOUS MEDIUM OF SAID EMULSION AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A SALT OF A CATION OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AMMONIUM, ALKALI METALS, AND ALKALINE EARTH METALS AND OF A ANION OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF INORGANIC ANIONS AND OF FORMIC, ACETIC, PROPIONIC, AND BUTYRIC ACIDS CONTAINING SAID SALT IN AN AMOUNT WITHIN THE LIMITS OF 4 TO 30 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF WATER IN SAID SOLUTION, AND PROVIDING FOR ADDITION COPOLYMERIZATION OF A MONOMERIC CONJUGATED DIENE HAVING FROM 4 TO 6 CARBON ATOMS IN THE MOLECULE WITH A MONOMER COPOLYMERIZABLE THEREWITH, HAVING A BOILING POINT WITHIN THE LIMITS OF 75-200* C., AND CONTAINING THE STRUCTURE CH2-=C<, TO FORM A LINEAR COPOLYMER OF HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING HEATING SAID LATEX AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE LIMITS OF 55 TO 135* F. AT A PRESSURE WITHIN THE LIMITS OF 50 MM. HG TO TWO ATMOSPHERES FOR A PERIOD OF FROM 0.5 TO HOURS, WHEREBY UNREACTED CONJUGATED DIENE PRESENT IN SAID LATEX IS COMPLETELY EVOLVED THEREFROM AS VAPOR, SAID LATEX IS CONCOMITANTLY COAGULATED, AND SOLID PARTICLES OF THE RESULTING SLURRY CONTAIN AN UNREACTED PORTION OF SAID MONOMER COPOLYMERIZABLE WITH SAID DIENE; SEPARATING SERUM FROM SAID SLURRY; AND HEATING RESULTING RESIDUAL COAGULUM AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE LIMITS OF 175-250* F. WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY PASSING A STRIPPING GAS THERETHROUGH, SAID STRIPPING GAS BEING CHEMICALLY INERT TO SAID RESIDUAL COAGULUM WHEREBY MONOMER IS STRIPPED FROM SAID COAGULUM AND IS CARRIED THEREFROM IN OFF GAS FROM SAID STRIPPING.