Method for manufacture of acrylonitrile-butadiene-aromatic vinyl resinous compositions

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING AN ACRYLONITRILE-BUTADIENE-AROMATIC VINYL MONOMER COMPOSITION HAVING, BY WEIGHT, 17% TO 33% ACRYLONITRILE, 18% TO 36% BUTADIENE AND 31% TO 65% AROMATIC VINYL COMPONENT, WHICH COMPRISES GRAFT-POLYMERIZING ACRYLONITRILE AND AROMATIC VINYL MONOMERS ONTO A SELECTED STYRENE-BUTADIENE LATEX IN THE PRESENCE OF A SELECTED POLYMERIZATION CATALYST SYSTEM; THE SELECTED STYRENE-BUTADIENE LATEX CONTAINING SYSSTANTIALLY 17% TO 24% BY WEIGHT COMBINED STYRENE, HAVING PARTICLES WITH AN AVERAGE DIAMETER OF FROM 0.1 TO 1.0 MICRON, AT LEAST 50% BY WEIGHT OF SUCH PARTICLES HAVING A DIAMETER LARGER THAN 0.5 MICRON, AND BEING POLYMERIZED SO AS TO CONTAIN RELATIVELY NO GEL, AND ANY GEL SO CONTAINED IS ONE HAVING HIGH SWELLING CAPABILITIES; THE SELECTED POLYMERIZATION CATALYST SYSTEM INCLUDES AN ORGANIC HYDROPEROXIDE AS AN INITIATOR, A MIXTURE OF SODIUM FORMALDEHYDE SULFOXYLATE, ASCORBIC ACID AND DIHYDROXYACETONE AS AN ACTIVATOR, AND AN IRON CHELATE COMPLEX OF AN ETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETIC ACID SALT AS AN AUXILARY AGENT; AND IN WHICH SUCH GRAFT-POLYMERIZATION INCLUDES THE STEPS OF INITIALLY CHARGING THE POLYMERIZATION REACTOR WITH A MIXTURE CONTAINING THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF STYRENE-BUTADIENE LATEX TO BE USED, LESS THAN 20% BY WEIGHT OF THE TOTAL ACRYLONITRILE AND AROMATIC VINYL MONOMERS TO BE USED, AND LESS THAN RESIDUAL AMOUNTS OF ACRYLONITRILE AND AROAND ADDING THE RESIDUAL AMOUNTS OF ACRYLINITRILE AND ARO MATIC VINYL MONOMERS AND THE INITIATOR AS POLYMERIZATION PROGRESSES.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING AN ACRYLONITRILE-BUTADIENE-AROMATIC VINYL MONOMER COMPOSITION HAVING, BY WEIGHT, 17% TO 33% ACRYLONITRILE, 18% TO 36% BUTADIENE AND 31% TO 65% AROMATIC VINYL COMPONENT, WHICH COMPRISES GRAFT-POLYMERIZING ACRYLONITRILE AND AROMATIC VINYL MONOMERS ONTO A SELECTED STYRENE-BUTADIENE LATEX IN THE PRESENCE OF A SELECTED POLYMERIZATION CATALYST SYSTEM; THE SELECTED STYRENE-BUTADIENE LATEX CONTAINING SYSSTANTIALLY 17% TO 24% BY WEIGHT COMBINED STYRENE, HAVING PARTICLES WITH AN AVERAGE DIAMETER OF FROM 0.1 TO 1.0 MICRON, AT LEAST 50% BY WEIGHT OF SUCH PARTICLES HAVING A DIAMETER LARGER THAN 0.5 MICRON, AND BEING POLYMERIZED SO AS TO CONTAIN RELATIVELY NO GEL, AND ANY GEL SO CONTAINED IS ONE HAVING HIGH SWELLING CAPABILITIES; THE SELECTED POLYMERIZATION CATALYST SYSTEM INCLUDES AN ORGANIC HYDROPEROXIDE AS AN INITIATOR, A MIXTURE OF SODIUM FORMALDEHYDE SULFOXYLATE, ASCORBIC ACID AND DIHYDROXYACETONE AS AN ACTIVATOR, AND AN IRON CHELATE COMPLEX OF AN ETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETIC ACID SALT AS AN AUXILARY AGENT; AND IN WHICH SUCH GRAFT-POLYMERIZATION INCLUDES THE STEPS OF INITIALLY CHARGING THE POLYMERIZATION REACTOR WITH A MIXTURE CONTAINING THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF STYRENE-BUTADIENE LATEX TO BE USED, LESS THAN 20% BY WEIGHT OF THE TOTAL ACRYLONITRILE AND AROMATIC VINYL MONOMERS TO BE USED, AND LESS THAN RESIDUAL AMOUNTS OF ACRYLONITRILE AND AROAND ADDING THE RESIDUAL AMOUNTS OF ACRYLINITRILE AND ARO MATIC VINYL MONOMERS AND THE INITIATOR AS POLYMERIZATION PROGRESSES.