Recovery process for polyethylene

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR REMOVING METALLIC CATALYST RESIDUES FROM A POLYMER OF A TERMINALLY UNSATURATED OLEFIN OBTAINED ON POLYMERIZATING SAID THERMALLY UNSATURATED OLEFIN IN AN INERT LIQUID HYDROCARBON WITH A CATALYST FORMED BY ADMIXING A HALIDE, SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF TITANIUM HALIDES AND VANADIUM HALIDES, WITH A COMPOUND OF ALUMINUM HAVING ALUMINUM DIRECTLY ATTACHED TO A HYDROCARBON GROUP, WHICH COMPRISES REACTING, AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE 125*C., A B-HYDROXY-KETONE WITH A POLYMERIZATION MIXTURE CONTAINING SAID POLYMER DISSOLVED IN SAID INERT LIQUID HYDROCARBON AND A RESIDUE OF SAID CATALYST, THE QUANTITY OF SAID B-HYDROXY-KETONE BEING AT LEAST THE STOICHIOMETRIC QUANTITY NECESSARY TO FORM A METAL CHELATE WITH THE METALS OF SAID CATALYST RESIDUE, THEREAFTER CONTACTING SAID POLYMERIZATION MIXTURE AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE 125*C., WITH AN ADSORBENT SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF SILICA AND ALUMINA, AND RECOVERING A POLYMER SOLUTION ESSENTIALLY FREE OF METALLIC CATALYST RESIDUES.