Method of removing coordination catalyst residues from hydrocarbon polymer slurries with alcohol

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE REMOVAL OF VANADIUM CATALYST RESIDUES FROM A METHYLENE CHLORIDE SLURRY OF A NORMALLY SOLID HYDROCARBON COPOLYMER COMPRISING (A) FORMING DISPERSED GRANULAR COPOLYMER PARTICLES HAVING A GENERAL SIZE OF ABOUT 1/32 TO 1.4 INCH IN DIMAETER BY ADDING AN ALCOHOL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AN ALCOHOL HAVING UP TO 4 CARBON ATOMS AND MIXTURES OF ALCOHOLS HAVING UP TO 4 CARBON ATOMS, SAID PARTICLES BEING SWOLLEN BY THE ALCOHOL/METHYLENE CHLORIDE MIXTURE AND SAID ALCOHOL BEING ADDED IN AMOUNT OF 10 TO 35 PERCENT BY VOLUME BASED ON THE TOTAL VOLUME OF SAID ALCOHOL AND METHYLENE CHLORIDE AND (B) SEPARATING THE HYDROCARBON COPOLYMER FROM SAID SLURRY TO OBTAIN SAID COPOLYMER HAVING LESS THAN ABOUT 68 PARTS PER MILLION OF VANADIUM; SAID SOLID HYDROCARBON COPOLYMER BEING A COPOLYMER OF ETHYLENE AND AT LEAST ONE OTHER COPOLYMERIZABLE MONOMER AND CONTAINING RESIDUES OF A VANADIUM CATALYST FORMED BY MIXING A VANADIUM SALT WITH A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AN ALUMINUM TRIALKYL, AN ALKYL ALUMINUM HALIDE AND THE REACTION PRODUCT OF A MOLAR PROPORTION OF AN ALUMINUM TRIALKYL AND 0.5 TO 2 MOLAR PORTIONS OF AN ALUMINUM HALIDE.