Purifying after-treatment for polymerized olefins prepared with catalytic metal compounds

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS WHEREIN A POLYMERIZED, ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MATERIAL THAT HAS BEEN PREPARED WITH A ZIEGLER-TYPE CATALYST SYSTEM IS BEING PURIFIED AFTER HAVING BEEN QUENCHED WITH AN ACTIVE HYDROGEN COMPOUND TO INACTIVATE THE CATALYST RESIDUE BEFORE THE POLYMER PRODUCT IS PERMITTED TO BE EXPOSED TO AIR, SAID ZIEGLERTYPE CATALYST SYSTEM BEING OF THE CLASS COMPRISED OF ADMIXTURES IF (A) A STRONG REDUCING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALUMINUM TRIALKYLS, DIALKYL ALUMINUM HALIDES AND DIALKYL ALUMINUM HYDRIDES AND (B) A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HALODENIDES, OXYHALOGENIDES, COMPLEX HALOGENIDES, FRESHLY PRECIPITATED OXIDES AND HYDROXIDES, ALCOHOLATES, ACETATES, BENZOATES AND ACETYL ACETONATES OF METALS OF GROUPS IV-B, V-B AND VI-B OF THE MENDELEEFF PERIODIC SYSTEM, THE IMPROVED AFTER-TREATING STEP FOR THE INDICATED PURPOSE WHICH COMPRISES FORMING THE QUENCHED POLYMER PRODUCT INTO A PARTICULATE MASS THAT IS ADAPTED TO BE FLUIDIZED UPON BEING CONTACTED WITH A PASSING STREAM OF FLUID WHEREIN THE PARTICLES OF QUENCHED POLYMER ARE OF SUCH A SIZE THAT THE FLUIDIZING RATE OF SAID CONTACTING FLUID IS BETWEEN ABOUT 0.15 AND 3.0 LINEAR FEET PER SECOND AND FLUIDIZING SAID MASS OF POLYMER BY A CONTACTING STREAM OF FLUID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF STREAM, HOT AIR AND MIXTURES THEREOF THAT IS PASSED UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID POLYMER MASS AT A FLUIDIZING RATE AND AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 90*C. AND ABOUT 115*C.