Treatment strategies to protect against clogging and contamination associated with fluid polymer materials

Abstract

The present invention provides a treatment composition for treating fluid solid polymer bodies and surfaces that come into contact with them. [Solution] A treatment composition for treating fluid solid polymer bodies and surfaces in contact with them comprises a first nonionic surfactant and a second nonionic surfactant. The first nonionic surfactant comprises a plurality of ethylene oxide groups and a plurality of butylene oxide groups. The second nonionic surfactant, unlike the first nonionic surfactant, comprises a plurality of ethylene oxide groups. Treatment of fluid solid polymer bodies with the treatment composition can reduce adhesion between fluid solid polymer bodies, and treatment of the containment vessel surface can reduce adhesion of fluid solid polymer bodies to the containment vessel. In the production of fluid solid polymer bodies, the treatment composition can be added to the cooling water of the polymer extrusion process to suppress contamination of surfaces in contact with the cooling water by the solid polymer body. The treatment composition does not exhibit excessive foaming.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (Cross-reference of related applications) This application claims the interests of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 470,077, filed on 31 May 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for any purpose.

[0002] (Field of invention) The present invention relates to a treatment composition comprising a combination of surfactants that can be used to treat a fluid polymer and / or surface to help protect against clogging and / or contamination associated with the fluid polymer. When placed in an aqueous medium, the treatment composition is, if desired, resistant to foaming (also referred to herein as foaming). More specifically, the treatment composition comprises a first nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene oxide groups and a plurality of butylene oxide groups, and a second nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene oxide groups, wherein the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant are different from each other. Preferably, the first and second surfactants are nonionic surfactants. [Background technology]

[0003] Polymers may be provided in the form of multiple solid fluids such that the polymer body can be handled in solid form in a manner that mimics the flow, transport, pour, fluidize, or otherwise handle a liquid. Fluid polymer bodies offer several advantages over liquid forms in many situations. For example, fluid polymer bodies are easier to handle at relatively low temperatures. Fluid solids may be handled at ambient temperature or even lower, whereas the same polymer or other polymers, if not in fluid form, may need to be heated to high temperatures until they become fluid in liquid or molten form. Even if a liquid medium may be used in the manufacture, transport, packaging, and use of fluid polymer solids, the resulting solid fluid material may then be used without requiring a solvent or liquid carrier, although in some cases, certain liquid carriers may still be used if desired. Filling and transporting dry fluid solids may be easier than liquid media because they are often easier to clean.

[0004] The fluid solid polymer material may be supplied in various physical forms, such as powder, pellets, granules, lumps, particles, other particle forms, or combinations thereof. The fluid polymer material may be supplied in a wide range of sizes suitable for the desired end application. For example, in some cases, the fluid polymer material may have a size range of 0.1 microns or larger. Smaller or even larger materials can be used in other cases. The supply may be processed by screening or the like to help limit a particular supply to one or more specific size ranges and / or distributions.

[0005] According to exemplary embodiments, fluid solid polymer bodies, known as polymer pellets in the plastics industry, are widely used as raw materials for manufacturing polymer articles. For example, the solid polymer body may be held in a hopper or other suitable supply container and then, optionally combined with other components, flow into an extruder, injection molding machine, calendering machine, etc., to form a desired article.

[0006] Polymer pellets may be manufactured in a variety of ways, including by an extruder-pelletizer strategy in which the extruder is subdivided in such a way that it forms relatively small, fluid solid polymer bodies. Examples of extrusion and pelletizing processes include melt pelletizing and strand pelletizing. In melt pelletizing, the hot polymer molten material coming out of the extruder die may be subdivided into pellets almost immediately while still molten or partially molten, and then cooled to form a solid, fluid material. In strand pelletizing, strands of polymer molten material may be drawn into a cooling water tank and cooled to a solid state, and then pelletized by a pelletizer. Variations of these methods exist. In the underwater hot-cut method, thin, rod-shaped molten polymer may be extruded from an extruder, drawn into a water tank, cooled, and then pelletized by a pelletizer. In the water-cooled hot-cut method, the molten resin may be extruded while spraying cooling water and pelletized by cutting.

[0007] In the methods described above, an aqueous liquid medium or other cooling medium (e.g., another liquid or gas) may act as a coolant to sufficiently cool the hot extruded material and / or hot pellets to provide solid, fluid pellets. When an aqueous liquid medium is used as a coolant, the cooling water and / or pellets are generally subsequently separated. The cooling water, having absorbed heat from the hot polymer material, is heated itself. In some methods, the cooling water is cooled in a heat exchanger and recirculated for use in cooling more pellet products.

[0008] The resulting pellets may be handled in various ways or used in other ways. In many cases, the pellet product is first transported to a dryer and / or storage silo before being set aside for further use in the manufacture of polymer articles or the like.

[0009] Several problems can be encountered in the manufacture, processing, and / or handling of fluid polymer materials such as pellets. For example, in an extruded-cooling water recirculation system, not all pellets are separated when they are separated from the cooling water. Some pellet material, possibly including fine particles (smaller-sized pellets, such as those with a maximum dimension of less than 500 microns, or even less than 100 microns, or even less than 10 microns, or even finer diameters), may remain in the separated cooling water. The remaining polymer material circulates with the cooling water and can adhere to the containment system surfaces that the cooling water comes into contact with, thereby contaminating the containment system surfaces. Such contamination is a type of blockage in which polymer material tends to adhere excessively to other polymer materials and / or other surfaces that come into contact with polymer materials. Pipes and neck points within the recirculation system can become contaminated and even blocked, particularly within heat exchangers. It may be necessary to stop operations to clean and decontaminate surfaces, to clean or change the cooling water, to remove blockages, etc.

[0010] Furthermore, desired polymer pellets may clog each other or contaminate each other's surfaces, even when dry, exhibiting excessive adhesion between pellets, where surface and / or friction may hinder or otherwise impair the movement of the pellet surface against another surface, such as the contact surface of an adjacent pellet or the contact surface of a containment vessel. Such clogging and contamination can occur during any handling and processing of pellets, such as during pelletizing, drying, storage, transport, fluidization, filling, and molding. As the pellets gradually become hotter, clogging and contamination may worsen. Clogging and contamination are frequently encountered, particularly in containment vessels such as conveyors, piping, and silos, where clogging between pellets and adhesion between pellets and the containment vessel surface can prevent the pellets from flowing freely or even make them excessively difficult to remove from the containment vessel. There is a strong need to protect fluid polymer materials against excessive clogging and contamination.

[0011] To mitigate clogging and contamination problems, treatment agents are available for addition to the cooling water that comes into contact with the pellets. For example, a combination of a lubricant and an emulsifying surfactant, such as a nonionic surfactant, may be added to the cooling water to address clogging and contamination. However, some treatments utilizing surfactants may cause excessive foaming when added to aqueous coolants.

[0012] In one example of a commercially successful implementation, a combination of polysiloxane and polysiloxane-modified silica sol is used to prevent or reduce clogging and other problems in fluid polymer bodies such as polymer pellets. This combination not only reduces clogging but also exhibits relatively low foaming properties. Such a treatment composition may be added to the cooling water in an extrusion-pelletization process, for example, and the treatment composition may be dissolved in the cooling water or dispersed in other ways. When the treated cooling water comes into contact with the pellets, and the pellets are separated from the cooling water and subsequently dried, the components of the treatment composition may coat at least a portion of the pellet surface, providing a surface treatment that reduces clogging and contamination. Thus, pellets treated with a polysiloxane-containing material may have the polysiloxane-containing material positioned on the pellet surface to provide this surface effect.

[0013] It would be desirable to use less expensive alternative materials to replace some or all of the polysiloxane materials used in these surface treatments. Unfortunately, it is difficult to formulate alternative surface treatments using less expensive and more readily available materials that can adequately mimic, or even surpass, the ability of polysiloxane materials to protect against clogging and contamination without causing excessive foaming, especially in aqueous cooling media. In particular, some materials that protect against clogging and contamination may tend to cause excessive foaming. Other materials foam less but do not provide sufficient protection against clogging and contamination.

[0014] Therefore, it would be advantageous if a treatment were available that allows for the generation of relatively small amounts of foam and can be used in combination with or as a substitute for polysiloxane-containing materials, in order to reduce or eliminate the aforementioned problems associated with fluid polymer bodies, such as in the handling, storage, manufacturing, transportation, and processing of polymer pellets. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0015] The present invention provides a strategy for reducing, if desired, clogging, foaming (i.e., foaming), and contamination problems associated with fluid solid polymer bodies such as powders, granules, particles, pellets, lumps, particles, and combinations thereof in aqueous media, using components comprising a combination of nonionic surfactants. This strategy can be used to treat polymer surfaces and / or other surfaces in contact with polymer surfaces. The advantages of the combination of nonionic surfactants may include reduced clogging, foaming, and contamination, and these advantages may be realized with materials that are cheaper and more readily available than current polysiloxane-based materials. This makes it possible to replace some or all of the polysiloxane-based materials used in conventional treatments with the combination of nonionic surfactants of the present invention.

[0016] In exemplary embodiments, polymer pellets may be treated using the treatment composition of the present invention to provide treated pellets. Advantageously, in some aspects of this embodiment, the treatment material can be incorporated into the treatment composition in the form of an aqueous cooling medium used in the production of solid, fluid polymer pellets from extruded raw polymer materials. In these embodiments, both the raw polymer material and / or pellets obtained from the polymer material are not only cooled but also treated with the same aqueous medium. In embodiments of the present invention, this cooling and treatment are carried out under conditions where the aqueous medium has a relatively low tendency to foam, which may occur in the presence of other surfactants, if desired.

[0017] After contact with the aqueous treatment composition of the present invention and subsequent drying, the treated polymer pellets tend to be coated with a combination of nonionic surfactants incorporated in an aqueous medium, or otherwise surface-treated. As a result, the treated pellets are less prone to clogging and / or causing contamination of equipment than similar untreated pellets. For example, adhesion of treated pellets to other pellets and / or adhesion to equipment surfaces and associated contamination can be reduced. This helps protect the fluidity characteristics of solid polymer bodies such as polymer pellets, making the transport, injection, distribution, filling, use, or other handling of the pellets easier.

[0018] When polymer pellets are derived from extruded polymer material, and the resulting aqueous cooling medium is in the form of a recirculating aqueous cooling medium, the treatment composition of the present invention can reduce contamination of surfaces that come into contact with the treated water-containing polymer solid, such as water-containing pellets or corresponding fine particles that are accompanied by the cooling medium as the cooling medium circulates or are otherwise dispersed in the cooling medium.

[0019] Relatively diluted treatment compositions, such as aqueous cooling media or sprays for surface treatment, may optionally be derived from one or more concentrated embodiments of treatment compositions or precursors of treatment compositions, which may optionally include or exclude a liquid carrier, such as an aqueous liquid carrier. A precursor composition refers to a composition that does not contain both the first and second nonionic surfactants described herein. A precursor composition may contain only one of these nonionic surfactants, or neither of these nonionic surfactants. The precursor compositions may be combined with each other, and optionally with one or more other materials (e.g., additional liquid carriers, other additives), to form a relatively concentrated embodiment of the treatment composition, which is then diluted to form a relatively diluted embodiment used for treating polymer materials or other surfaces. Alternatively, the precursor compositions and optionally one or more other materials may be combined to directly form a treatment composition used for treatment without first going through a more concentrated form.

[0020] Furthermore, the treatment composition may be used to protect surfaces from contamination associated with fluid solid polymers such as the treated fluid solid polymer of the present invention, fluid solid polymers treated by other means, and / or untreated solid fluid polymers. Surface treatment of the present invention is generally achieved by contacting the surface with the treatment composition of the present invention, at least partially coating the surface with the treatment composition of the present invention, and then drying or otherwise curing the coating in a manner effective in making the surface more resistant to contamination than the untreated surface. The treatment composition imparts stain resistance to the surface to which the composition is applied and dried or otherwise cured (for example, the composition may be UV curable). Surface treatment may be achieved in various ways, such as applying the treatment composition onto the surface to be protected from contamination by brushing, injecting, spraying, wiping, rolling, lamination, or other means, and then drying or drying the surface while optionally heating, although coating and / or drying may be carried out under ambient conditions or even under cooling conditions.

[0021] In exemplary embodiments, in addition to or instead of treating the polymer body itself, the treatment composition of the present invention may be used to treat a wide range of surfaces that come into contact with the fluid solid polymer body, such as extruders, pelletizers, separators, piping, pumps, conveyors, heaters, coolers, and storage vessels. For example, the treatment composition of the present invention may be added to spray water used to spray at least a portion of the internal surface of a silo before storing fluid solid polymer pellets in the silo. After application of the treatment composition to one or more internal surfaces of the silo and drying or other curing thereof, the treated internal surface exhibits reduced contamination and / or adhesion to the polymer pellets contained within and in contact with the pellets by the silo. Protection against contamination is further enhanced in embodiments in which the surface treatment is performed in such a manner that the fluid polymer body is also protected against blockage. Preferably, the surface treatment of the present invention is used on both the polymer material and at least a portion of the surfaces that come into contact with the polymer material.

[0022] In general, many conventional surfactant-containing aqueous compositions can be particularly prone to foaming. Foaming of surfactant-containing compositions is often undesirable because it can make the surfactant-containing compositions difficult to handle. For example, the composition may be accompanied by air and occupy excessive space in pipes and / or storage containers. Foamed compositions may be difficult to pump due to the accompanying air. Furthermore, foamed compositions may reduce contact between the fluid polymer and the surfactant, reducing protection against contamination and / or blockage of the polymer. Because the treatment agents of the present invention have improved foam resistance, they are particularly well suited for use in aqueous media, for example, in aqueous spray applications to surfaces to impart contamination resistance to surfaces. Furthermore, foaming can be a serious problem in prior art treatment compositions added to aqueous cooling media during polymer extrusion processes, for example, during cooling of extruded polymer material and / or pellets derived therefrom, centrifugation of recirculated aqueous cooling media, or combinations thereof. Therefore, the treatment compositions described herein are also particularly well suited for addition to cooling water in extrusion and to other aqueous media used in the manufacture, processing, or other handling of fluid solid polymers.

[0023] In one embodiment, a method for processing a plurality of polymer pellets comprises contacting the polymer pellets with a processing composition, the processing composition comprising i) an aqueous liquid carrier, ii) a first nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene oxide groups and a plurality of butylene oxide groups, and iii) a second nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene oxide groups, wherein the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant are chemically distinct from each other.

[0024] In one embodiment, a method for treating a containment vessel defining its internal volume comprises contacting the internal surface of the containment vessel with a treatment composition in an effective manner for providing a treated containment vessel having a treated internal surface, wherein the treatment composition comprises i) an aqueous liquid carrier, ii) a first nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene oxide groups and a plurality of butylene oxide groups, and iii) a second nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene oxide groups, wherein the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant are chemically distinct from each other.

[0025] In one embodiment, a method for extruding a polymer comprises (a) melt-extruding a polymer to form an extruded product, and (b) contacting the extruded product with a cooling composition, wherein the cooling composition comprises i) an aqueous liquid carrier, ii) a first nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene oxide groups and a plurality of butylene oxide groups, and iii) a second nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene oxide groups, wherein the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant are different from each other.

[0026] In one embodiment, the treatment composition comprises a) a first nonionic surfactant containing a plurality of ethylene oxide groups and a plurality of butylene oxide groups, and b) a second nonionic surfactant containing a plurality of ethylene oxide groups, wherein the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant are different from each other.

[0027] In one embodiment, the aqueous treatment composition comprises: a) a first nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene oxide groups and a plurality of butylene oxide groups; b) a second nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene oxide groups, wherein the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant are different from each other; and c) an aqueous carrier liquid.

[0028] In one embodiment, a plurality of treated polymer pellets include an outer surface, the outer surface being at least partially coated with a treatment agent, the treatment agent comprising a) a first nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene oxide groups and a plurality of butylene oxide groups, and b) a second nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene oxide groups, wherein the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant are chemically different from each other. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0029] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a method for producing pellets according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] [Figure 2] This is a bar graph showing the relative foam volume determined in Example 2 as shown herein.

[0031] [Figure 3] This is a plot of foam height for the different compositions tested in Example 3 shown herein.

[0032] [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram of a method for spraying onto a surface according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of a coated surface according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] [Figure 6] The foam data showing the defoaming efficiency for the composition tested in Example 4 is shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0035] This disclosure provides references to various embodiments, but those skilled in the art will recognize that modifications may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Various embodiments are described in detail with reference to the drawings. References to various embodiments do not limit the scope of the claims appended herein. In addition, any examples described herein are illustrative and not intended to limit, and merely describe some of the many possible embodiments of the claims appended herein.

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art. In case of any conflict, the definitions in this document shall prevail. Methods and materials similar to or equivalent to those described herein may be used in the practice or testing of this application, but these methods and materials are described below. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references referred to herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

[0037] As used herein, the terms “comprise(s),” “include(s),” “having,” “has,” “can,” “contain(s),” and their variations are intended to be unrestricted transitional phrases, terms, or words that do not preclude the possibility of additional actions or structures.

[0038] The singular forms "a," "and," and "the" refer to multiple objects unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0039] As used herein, the terms “optional” or “optional” mean that the described features, conditions, events, or circumstances may or may not occur, and that their use includes instances in which the events or circumstances occur and instances in which they do not.

[0040] When used herein, any enumerated range of values ​​should be interpreted as supporting claims that enumerate any subrange having endpoints that are real numbers within the enumerated range, assuming all values ​​within the range. For example, the disclosure herein relating to the range 1–5 shall form the basis for claims relating to any of the following ranges: 1–5, 1–4, 1–3, 1–2, 2–5, 2–4, 2–3, 3–5, 3–4, and 4–5, as well as their fractions, such as 1.5–3.5, 1.7–4.8, etc.

[0041] Processing composition

[0042] The treatment composition of the present invention comprises, consists of, or is essentially composed of, a) a first nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene groups and a plurality of butylene oxide groups, and b) a second nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene oxide groups, wherein the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant are different from each other. As further described below, the treatment composition may optionally contain one or more optional components. A liquid carrier, preferably an aqueous liquid carrier, is an example of an optional component.

[0043] The weight ratio of the first nonionic surfactant to the second nonionic surfactant may be selected within a wide range. In exemplary embodiments, the weight ratio of the first nonionic surfactant to the second nonionic surfactant in the treatment composition may be about 1:100 to about 100:1, or 1:5 to about 5:1, or about 1:2 to about 4:1, or about 1:2 to about 3:1, or about 1:2 to about 5:2, or about 1:1 to about 5:2, or about 2:1.

[0044] The concentrations of the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant in the treatment composition may vary over a wide range, depending on whether the treatment composition is in the form of a concentrate that is later diluted to a final form useful for carrying out the treatment, or whether the treatment composition is that final form. Exemplary embodiments of such a treatment composition may contain, with respect to the total amount of liquid carrier, 1 ppm to 3000 ppm by weight of the first nonionic surfactant (i.e., 1 to 3000 parts by weight of the first nonionic surfactant per 1 million parts by weight of liquid carrier in the treatment composition), or 5 ppm to 3000 ppm, or 5 ppm to 2500 ppm, or 10 ppm to 3000 ppm, or 100 ppm to 3000 ppm, or 500 ppm to 3000 ppm, or 900 ppm to 2500 ppm, or about 1500 ppm to about 2500 ppm, or about 2000 ppm by weight of the first nonionic surfactant.

[0045] Similarly, exemplary embodiments of such treatment compositions may contain, with respect to the total amount of liquid carrier, 100 ppm to 5000 ppm by weight of the second nonionic surfactant (i.e., 100 to 5000 parts by weight of the second nonionic surfactant per 1 million parts by weight of liquid carrier in the treatment composition), or 200 ppm to 3000 ppm, or 500 ppm to 3000 ppm, or 500 ppm to 2000 ppm, or 500 ppm to 1500 ppm, or 750 ppm to 1500 ppm, or 750 ppm to 1250 ppm, or about 1000 ppm by weight of the second nonionic surfactant.

[0046] The treatment composition of the present invention may also be formulated as a concentrate, which is subsequently diluted to provide a final concentration of a first nonionic surfactant and a second nonionic surfactant suitable for treatment. The treatment composition in concentrate form may contain 0 to 1000 parts by weight, 0 to 500 parts by weight, 0 to 50 parts by weight, 0 to 10 parts by weight, 0 to 5 parts by weight, or even 0 to 0.5 parts by weight of a liquid carrier per 10 parts by weight of the total amount of the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant in the concentrate.

[0047] Alternatively, the treatment composition may be formulated from two or more precursor compositions, where a first nonionic surfactant and a second nonionic surfactant are initially supplied as separate mixtures, which are then combined with each other and optionally with one or more other components to form the treatment composition of the present invention. The precursor composition may contain one of the first nonionic surfactant or the second nonionic surfactant in a wide range of concentrations, including a concentrated form that is later diluted to the final form used to carry out the treatment. In relatively dilute embodiments, the concentration of one of the first or second nonionic surfactants in the exemplary embodiment relative to the amount of liquid carrier may be in the range of 100 ppm to 5000 ppm by weight of the second nonionic surfactant (i.e., 100 to 5000 parts by weight of applicable nonionic surfactant per 1 million parts by weight of liquid carrier in the treatment composition), or 200 ppm to 3000 ppm, or 500 ppm to 3000 ppm, or 500 ppm to 2000 ppm, or 500 ppm to 1500 ppm, or 750 ppm to 1500 ppm, or 750 ppm to 1250 ppm, or about 1000 ppm by weight of applicable nonionic surfactant. In more concentrated embodiments, the concentration of either the first nonionic surfactant or the second nonionic surfactant in the exemplary embodiment of the precursor composition may be in the range of 0 to 1000 parts by weight, 0 to 500 parts by weight, 0 to 50 parts by weight, 0 to 10 parts by weight, 0 to 5 parts by weight, or even 0 to 0.5 parts by weight per 10 parts by weight of the total amount of the first nonionic surfactant or the second nonionic surfactant in the concentrate.

[0048] First nonionic surfactant

[0049] The first nonionic surfactant is a plurality of substituted or unsubstituted ethylene oxides (-CR 1 R 2 -CR 3 R 4 -O-) group and multiple substituted or unsubstituted butylene oxides (-CR 5 R 6 -CR 7 R 8 -CR9 R 10 -CR 11 R 12 -O-) group, consists of them, or consists essentially of them. R 1 、R 2 、R 3 、R 4 、R 5 、R 6 、R 7 、R 8 、R 9 、R 10 、R 11 、及びR 12 are each independently selected from one or more types of monovalent organic moieties such as hydrogen and hydrocarbyl groups. R 1 、R 2 、R 3 、R 4 、R 5 、R 6 、R 7 、R 8 、R 9 、R 10 、R 11 、及びR 12 may be co-members of a ring structure (further considered below). The first nonionic surfactant may have various types and structures. For example, the main types of the first nonionic surfactant include aliphatic alcohol ethoxylates / butoxylates, alkylphenol ethoxylates / butoxylates, fatty acid ethoxylates / butoxylates, combinations thereof, and the like.

[0050] In a preferred embodiment, R 1 、R 2 、R 3 、R 4 、R 5 、R 6 、R 7 、R 8 、R 9 、R 10 、R 11 、及びR 12 are each independently selected from hydrogen and linear or branched C1-C5 alkyl groups. In a more preferred embodiment, R 1 、R 2 、R 3 、R4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , and R 12 are each independently selected from hydrogen and methyl. In the most preferred embodiment, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , and R 12 is hydrogen, i.e., the ethylene oxide groups in the plurality of ethylene oxide groups are unsubstituted and have the formula -CH2CH2O-, and the butylene oxide groups in the plurality of butylene oxide groups are unsubstituted and have the formula -CH2CH2CH2CH2O-.

[0051] Alternatively, in the ethylene oxide group, any one of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 may be a co-member of a ring structure together with one or more of the other R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 groups. For example, R 1 may be connected to R 3 in the ring structure, and / or R 2 may be connected to R 4 in the ring structure. Alternatively, and more preferably, each of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 may be a separate hydrocarbyl group or hydrogen.

[0052] Similarly, as an option in the butylene oxide group, R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , and R 12 Any one of and R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , and R 12 may be a co-member of a ring structure together with one or more of the other R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, and R groups. For example, R 5 may connect with R 7 to form a hydrocarbyl ring structure, and R 6 and R 8 , R 7 and R 9 , R 8 and R 10 , R 9 and R 11 , and / or R<所提供文本中此标签有误,推测应为 10 (若不是,请补充正确标签) and R 12 may connect to form a hydrocarbyl ring structure. Alternatively, and more preferably, each of R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , and R<00001所提供文本中此标签有误,推测应为 12 (若不是,请补充正确标签) may be a separate hydrocarbyl group or hydrogen.

[0053] In some exemplary embodiments of the first nonionic surfactant, the molar ratio of the butylene oxide groups to the ethylene oxide groups may be 1:100 to 100:1, 50:1 to 1:50, 1:20 to 20:1, 1:4 to 4:1, 2:4 to 4:1, 3:4 to 4:1, 1:1 to 4:1, 1:4 to 3:1, 1:4 to 2:1, or 1:4 to 1:1.

[0054] In some embodiments, the number average formula weight of the alkoxylate moiety may be selected from a wide range. Generally, the number average molecular weight may be 44 to 2000 daltons, or 44 to 1000 daltons, or 43 daltons to 721 daltons.

[0055] The first nonionic surfactant may be insoluble in water at 20°C, or it may have a solubility of 0g to 1g / liter, or 0g / liter to 0.1g / liter, or 0g / liter to 0.01g / liter, or 0.001g / liter to 1g / liter, or 0.001g / liter to 0.1g / liter per liter of water.

[0056] In exemplary embodiments, a first nonionic surfactant at a concentration of 1 g / liter in distilled water at 20°C may have a surface tension of about 10–40, or about 20–50, or about 20–40, or about 25–35, or about 30 mN / m, as measured according to DIN 53914 (1997).

[0057] In exemplary embodiments, the viscosity of the first nonionic surfactant, as measured at 60 rpm using a Brookfield viscometer (e.g., available from AMETEK-Brookfield in Middleboro, MA, USA), may be about 30 to about 60, or about 30 to about 50, at 25°C. The viscosity of the first nonionic surfactant, as measured at 60 rpm using a Brookfield viscometer, may be about 50 to about 120, or about 70 to about 100, or about 80 to 100, or about 85 to about 95, or about 90 centipoise (cP), at 10°C. The viscosity of the first nonionic surfactant, as measured at 60 rpm using a Brookfield viscometer, may be about 2500 to about 3500, or about 2600 to about 3200, or about 2600 to about 2900, or about 2600 to about 3000, or about 2800 cP, at 10°C.

[0058] In some embodiments, the first nonionic surfactant may, may consist of, or may be essentially composed of, an alkoxylated alcohol. The alkoxylated alcohol may be a reaction product of a substituted or unsubstituted ethylene oxide, a substituted or unsubstituted butylene oxide, and an aliphatic alcohol. Alternatively, the alkoxylated alcohol may be a reaction product of ethylene glycol, butylene glycol, and an aliphatic alcohol. The aliphatic alcohol may contain 4 to 26 carbon atoms, for example, 4 to 26 carbon atoms, or 6 to 20 carbon atoms, or 8 to 18 carbon atoms, or 10 to 8 carbon atoms, or 10 to 16 carbon atoms, or 8 to 16 carbon atoms. The aliphatic alcohol may be a mixture of aliphatic alcohols having an average of 10 to 16 carbon atoms collectively and mainly consisting of an unbranched hydrocarbyl moiety collectively.

[0059] The first nonionic surfactant may comprise, be, or essentially comprise an alkoxylated alcohol having the formula Bh-O-(Ax)-Y, where the hydrocarbyl moiety Bh is a C10-C16 alkyl group, and more than 50 mol% of the hydrocarbyl moiety in the alkoxylated alcohol compounds, for example, 51 mol% to 100 mol%, or 60 mol% to 100 mol%, or 70 mol% to 100 mol%, or 80 mol% to 100 mol%, or 90 mol% to 100 mol%, or 51 mol% to 99 mol%, or 51 mol% to 95 mol%, or 80 mol% to 95 mol%, is an unbranched alkyl group.

[0060] In a typical embodiment, the first nonionic surfactant may comprise, be derived from, or essentially comprise a alkoxylated alcohol having the formula Bh-O-(Ax)-Y, where Bh is a hydrocarbyl moiety, O is an oxygen atom, Ax is an alkoxylate moiety comprising the EO and BO content described herein, and Y is hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl group, or another nonionic monovalent moiety.

[0061] The hydrocarbyl moiety Bh may be selected from a wide range of linear, branched, or cyclic moieties. In some embodiments, Bh may have 4 to 26 carbon atoms, or 6 to 20 carbon atoms, or 8 to 18 carbon atoms, or 10 to 8 carbon atoms, or 10 to 16 carbon atoms, or 8 to 16 carbon atoms. The hydrocarbyl moiety Bh may contain one or more alkyl, alkylene, and aryl groups. Non-limiting examples of Bh include C10-C16 alkyl groups, for example, mainly unbranched C10-C16 groups.

[0062] If Y is a hydrocarbyl group, Y may be selected from a wide range of linear, branched, or cyclic moieties. In some embodiments, Y may have 4 to 26 carbon atoms, or 6 to 20 carbon atoms, or 8 to 18 carbon atoms, or 10 to 8 carbon atoms, or 10 to 16 carbon atoms, or 8 to 16 carbon atoms. If Y is a hydrocarbyl group, Y may contain one or more alkyl, alkylene, and aryl groups. If Y is a hydrocarbyl group, Y may be the same as or different from Bh.

[0063] Suitable nonionic surfactants for use as the first nonionic surfactant are available from BASF under the trade name PLURAFAC®. Non-limiting examples include PLURAFAC LF 224 and PLURAFAC LF 403. Alternatively, a suitable first nonionic surfactant may be prepared by synthetic methods well known to those skilled in the art. Alkoxylated alcohol surfactants may be synthesized, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,682,849. Furthermore, the procedure in Sindija Brica, Maris Klavins & Andris Zicmanis|Chris Smith (Reviewing Editor) (2016) A route to simple nonionic surfactants, Cogent Chemistry, 2:1, DOI:10.1080 / 23312009.2016.1178830 can also be used by acylation of aliphatic amines with ethylene carbonate and butylene carbonate. The synthesis procedure is also described in Chapter 5 of Richard J Farn, Chemistry and Technology of Surfactants, John Wiley & Sons (April 15, 2008).

[0064] Second nonionic surfactant

[0065] Unlike the first nonionic surfactant, the second nonionic surfactant contains multiple substituted or unsubstituted ethylene oxides (-CR). 13 R 14 -CR 15 R 16 Contains an -O- group. 13 , R 14 , R 15 , and R 16 R is individually selected from hydrogen and one or more types of monovalent moieties such as one or more types of hydrocarbyl groups. In a preferred embodiment, R 13 , R 14 , R 15 , and R 16R is individually selected from hydrogen and C1-C5 alkyl groups. In a more preferred embodiment, R 13 , R 14 , R 15 , and R 16 R is individually selected from hydrogen and methyl. In the most preferred embodiment, 13 , R 14 , R 15 , and R 16 Each of them is hydrogen.

[0066] The second nonionic surfactant may have various types and structures. For example, the main types of the second nonionic surfactant include aliphatic alcohol ethoxylates, alkylphenol ethoxylates, fatty acid ethoxylates, and combinations thereof.

[0067] R 13 R 14 or R 15 It may also be connected in a ring structure. 14 R 16 It may be connected in a ring structure. Alternatively, R 13 , R 14 , R 15 , and R 16 Each of these may be a separate hydrocarbyl group or hydrogen.

[0068] In some embodiments, the HLB value of the second nonionic surfactant may be 5 to 20, or 10 to 15, or about 12, or 12.1.

[0069] In some embodiments, the pH of a 1% by weight aqueous solution of the second nonionic surfactant may be 5 to 8, 6 to 7, or about 6.8 at 25°C.

[0070] In some embodiments, the surface tension of a 1% by weight aqueous solution of the second nonionic surfactant at 25°C may be 20–50 or 20–40, or 25–35, or about 30 dynes / cm, as measured according to DIN 53914 (1997).

[0071] In some embodiments, the second nonionic surfactant may include, be, or be essentially an alkoxylated alcohol. The alkoxylated alcohol may be a reaction product of a substituted or unsubstituted ethylene oxide with an aliphatic alcohol. Alternatively, the alkoxylated alcohol may be a reaction product of ethylene glycol with an aliphatic alcohol. The aliphatic alcohol may contain a wide variety of carbon atoms. In non-limiting examples, the aliphatic alcohol may contain 4 to 26 carbon atoms, for example, 4 to 26 carbon atoms, or 6 to 20 carbon atoms, or 8 to 18 carbon atoms, 10 to 16 carbon atoms, or 8 to 16 carbon atoms. The aliphatic alcohol may be a mixture of aliphatic alcohols having an average of about 12 to 14 carbon atoms collectively and mainly containing a secondary hydrocarbyl moiety collectively.

[0072] The second nonionic surfactant may comprise, be derived from, or essentially consist of an alkoxylated alcohol having the formula Ch-O-(Ex)-Z, where Ch is a hydrocarbyl moiety, Ex is an alkoxylate moiety containing the ethylene oxide content described above, O is oxygen, and Z is hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl group, or another nonionic monovalent entity.

[0073] The alkoxylate portion consists of substituted or unsubstituted ethylene oxide groups (CR). 13 R 14 -CR 15 R 16 -O) may include, may become, or may essentially become. 13 , R 14 , R 15 , and R 16 R is individually selected from hydrogen and one or more types of hydrocarbyl groups. In a preferred embodiment, R 13 , R 14 , R 15 , and R 16 R is individually selected from hydrogen and C1-C5 alkyl groups. In a more preferred embodiment, R 13 , R 14 , R 15, and R 16 R is individually selected from hydrogen and methyl. In the most preferred embodiment, 13 , R 14 , R 15 , and R 16 Each of these is hydrogen, meaning that the ethylene oxide groups in the plurality of ethylene oxide groups in the second nonionic surfactant are unsubstituted ethylene oxide groups.

[0074] The total number of ethylene oxide groups in the alkoxylate moiety may be 1 to 30, or 1 to 25, or 15 to 25, or 1 to 20, or 1 to 15, or 1 to 10, or 1 to 5, or 5 to 10, or about 7.

[0075] In some embodiments, the number-average formula weight of the second nonionic surfactant may be 200 to 800 daltons, or 400 to 600 daltons, or 450 to 550 daltons, or about 508 daltons.

[0076] In some embodiments, the hydrocarbyl moiety Ch may have 4 to 26 carbon atoms, or 6 to 20 carbon atoms, or 8 to 18 carbon atoms, or 12 to 14 carbon atoms, or 10 to 16 carbon atoms, or 8 to 16 carbon atoms. The hydrocarbyl moiety Ch may contain one or more alkyl, alkylene, and aryl groups.

[0077] If Z is a hydrocarbyl group, Z may have 4 to 26 carbon atoms, or 6 to 20 carbon atoms, or 8 to 18 carbon atoms, or 12 to 14 carbon atoms, or 10 to 16 carbon atoms, or 8 to 16 carbon atoms. The hydrocarbyl moiety Z may contain one or more of alkyl, alkylene, and aryl groups. If Z is a hydrocarbyl moiety, Z may be the same as or different from the hydrocarbyl moiety Ch.

[0078] The second nonionic surfactant may contain, be derived from, or be essentially derived from an alkoxylated alcohol, the alkoxylated alcohol being a reaction product of a substituted or unsubstituted ethylene oxide and an aliphatic alcohol. The aliphatic alcohol may contain 4 to 26 carbon atoms, for example, 4 to 26 carbon atoms, or 6 to 20 carbon atoms, or 8 to 18 carbon atoms, 9 to 15 carbon atoms, or 12 to 14 carbon atoms, or 10 to 16 carbon atoms, or 8 to 16 carbon atoms. The aliphatic alcohol may have an average number of carbon atoms of 10 to 14, and Ch may be a secondary alkylhydrocarbyl moiety.

[0079] The second nonionic surfactant may comprise, be, or essentially comprise an alkoxylated alcohol having the formula Ch-O-(Ex)-Z, where the hydrocarbyl moiety Ch is a C12-C14 alkyl group, and more than 50 mol% of the hydrocarbyl moiety in the alkoxylated alcohol, for example, 51 mol%-100 mol%, or 60 mol%-100 mol%, or 70 mol%-100 mol%, or 80 mol%-100 mol%, or 90 mol%-100 mol%, or 95 mol%-100 mol%, or 51 mol%-99 mol%, or 51 mol%-95 mol%, or 80 mol%-95 mol%, or about 100 mol%, is a secondary alkyl group.

[0080] A preferred example of the second ionic surfactant is available from Dow Chemical Company (Midland, Michigan, USA) under the trade name TERGITOL®. Examples include surfactants in the range of TERGITOL 15-S. Alkoxylated alcohol surfactants may be synthesized, for example, as shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,870,220.

[0081] The treatment composition of the present invention may optionally contain one or more additional components, such as a liquid carrier (preferably an aqueous liquid carrier), one or more polysiloxanes, one or more fungicides, one or more biocides, one or more antistatic agents, one or more fluorescent compounds, one or more fluorescent whitening agents, one or more dyes, one or more pigments, or combinations thereof.

[0082] Optionally, the treatment composition may further contain at least one polysiloxane, such as polydimethylsiloxane. The polysiloxane may include polysiloxane-modified silica. If present, the weight ratio of the polysiloxane (if present) to the second nonionic surfactant may be 1:10 to 10:1, or 1:5 to 5:1, or 1:2 to 2:1, or 1:10 to 1:1, or 1:1 to 1:10, or 1:1 to 5:1, or 5:1 to 1:1, or about 1:1.

[0083] In some embodiments, the amount of optional polysiloxane is limited or avoided. In such embodiments, the weight ratio of polysiloxane to the second nonionic surfactant is in the range of 0:10000 to 1:10000, or 0:1000000 to 1:1000000.

[0084] Aqueous treatment composition

[0085] In preferred embodiments, the treatment composition in the implementation of the present invention is in the form of an aqueous treatment composition. The aqueous treatment composition of the present invention arises when the treatment composition comprises, consists of, or is essentially composed of, any of the treatment compositions disclosed herein and an aqueous liquid carrier. The aqueous liquid carrier comprises, consists of, or is essentially composed of, water. Optionally, in addition to water, the aqueous liquid carrier may comprise, consist of, or be essentially composed of, water and one or more water-soluble organic carrier liquids. One or more water-soluble organic carrier liquids may contain one or more alcohols (e.g., ethanol, isopropanol, n-propanol, n-butanol, isobutanol, t-butanol, amyl alcohol, hexanol, propanediol, butanediol, pentanediol, glycerol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, or combinations thereof) and / or other water-soluble organic carrier liquids (e.g., acetone, acetonitrile, diethanolamine, dimethyl sulfoxide, 1,4-dioxane, ethylamine, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, acetic acid, propanoic acid, tetrahydrofuran, or combinations thereof).

[0086] Arrangement of a treatment composition containing a first nonionic surfactant and a second nonionic surfactant

[0087] Various methods may be used to arrange the treatment compositions of the present invention. For example, the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant, and optionally one or more other desired components (if any), may be dissolved, dispersed, or otherwise incorporated in a liquid carrier such as an aqueous carrier liquid in a form effective for the desired end use. Alternatively, the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant, and optionally one or more other desired components (if any), may be dissolved, dispersed, or otherwise incorporated in one or more concentrated treatment compositions, which are then further diluted in a liquid carrier and combined optionally with one or more optional components to prepare the treatment composition for use in carrying out the desired treatment. At least some of the other optional components may be incorporated into one or more concentrated compositions, or combined with concentrated compositions to form the resulting treatment composition. Precursor compositions corresponding to concentrates or final treatment composition forms may also be used.

[0088] In exemplary embodiments, the end use is to provide and use a treatment composition in the form of a recirculating cooling medium. The cooling medium is useful for helping to cool and treat a fluid polymer body in the form of polymer pellets. Such a treatment composition is useful for contacting multiple fluid solid polymer bodies not only to cool the polymer body after extrusion, but also to help provide functionality including reducing the tendency of the polymer bodies to clog each other or contaminate the equipment, and to help lower the drying temperature and reduce polymer degradation associated with higher drying temperatures.

[0089] For example, the first nonionic surfactant and one or more additional optional components may be dispersed, dissolved, or otherwise incorporated in an aqueous carrier liquid, if desired, to form the first precursor composition. The second nonionic surfactant and one or more additional optional components may be dispersed, dissolved, or otherwise incorporated in an aqueous carrier, if desired, to form the second aqueous precursor composition. Optionally, one or both of the precursor compositions may be supplied in an undiluted form, i.e., without a liquid carrier.

[0090] The first and second precursor compositions may be provided to the end user as a kit. The kit includes a first kit component comprising a first precursor composition comprising a first nonionic surfactant. A separate kit component comprises a second precursor composition comprising a second nonionic surfactant. The first precursor composition may comprise, consist of, or essentially consist of, the first nonionic surfactant, optionally an aqueous liquid carrier, and one or more optionally selected components. The second precursor composition may comprise, consist of, or essentially consist of, the second nonionic surfactant, an aqueous liquid carrier, and one or more optionally selected components.

[0091] During use, the first aqueous precursor composition and the second aqueous precursor composition may be combined with an additional aqueous liquid carrier material and optionally one or more additional optional components to produce a desired aqueous treatment composition useful, for example, as spray water or as extruder-pelletizer cooling water. In the latter use, the aqueous treatment composition is useful for contacting multiple flowable solid polymer bodies for cooling and protection against clogging and contamination, while facilitating the use of lower drying temperatures. As a result of using the additional liquid carrier material, the first and second precursor compositions are diluted to form the resulting treatment composition.

[0092] The use of the first and second precursor compositions to prepare the resulting treatment composition may be carried out in various ways. For example, the first and second precursor compositions may first be combined by the end user to form a treatment composition in the form of a concentrated treatment composition. The concentrate is then diluted with an additional liquid carrier and optionally further combined with one or more optional components incorporated into the treatment composition. Alternatively, as another example, the end user may separately incorporate the first and second precursor compositions into an existing cooling medium, either sequentially or simultaneously in any order, under conditions effective in providing the resulting treatment composition having the first and second nonionic surfactants at desired concentrations, respectively. The treatment compositions may be formed continuously or in batches.

[0093] As an alternative example, a first nonionic surfactant, a second nonionic surfactant, optionally an aqueous liquid medium, and optionally one or more additional optional components may be incorporated into the single concentrated treatment composition of the present invention. Optionally, the concentrated treatment composition may be supplied in an undiluted form, i.e., without a liquid carrier. At use, the single aqueous concentrated treatment composition may be combined with additional aqueous liquid carrier material and optionally one or more additional optional components to produce a desired aqueous treatment composition useful, for example, as spray water or extruder-pelletizer cooling water. As a result of using the additional liquid carrier material, the single concentrated treatment composition is diluted to form the resulting treatment composition.

[0094] Method for processing fluid solid polymers

[0095] A method for treating multiple fluid solid polymer bodies comprises contacting the multiple fluid solid polymer bodies with the aqueous treatment composition of the present invention as described above to form a mixture, the mixture comprising, consisting of, or essentially comprising, the multiple fluid solid polymer bodies and the aqueous treatment composition. The aqueous treatment composition comprises, consisting of, or essentially comprising, water, the first nonionic surfactant described herein, and the second nonionic surfactant described herein. As described above, the aqueous treatment composition may optionally contain one or more optional components.

[0096] The first nonionic surfactant, the second nonionic surfactant, water, and a plurality of fluid polymer bodies may be combined in any order. However, in a preferred exemplary method, an aqueous dispersion of the first nonionic surfactant is added to an in-situ aqueous dispersion or solution of the second nonionic surfactant to provide an aqueous treatment composition. The aqueous first nonionic surfactant may be added to the aqueous second nonionic surfactant before, during, or after any stirring of the aqueous second nonionic surfactant. The combination of the aqueous first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant may then be brought into contact with a plurality of polymer pellets.

[0097] As used herein, a solid polymer body is a separate mass comprising at least one solid polymer material. As used herein, a solid polymer material means any oligomer or polymer that is solid at 25°C and 1 atmospheric pressure. Exemplary solid polymer materials are those having a number average molecular weight of at least 500, or at least 750, or at least 1500, or at least 2500. Some solid polymer materials, such as ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, may have a number average molecular weight of several million, for example, 3.5 million to 7.5 million. Thus, in some embodiments, a solid polymer material may have a number average molecular weight of up to about 8 million, or up to about 5 million, or up to about 2 million, or up to about 500,000, or up to about 250,000, or up to about 100,000, or up to about 50,000, or up to about 25,000.

[0098] As used herein, “flowable solid polymer” refers to a group of solid polymers that can collectively flow or be made fluid when acted upon by one or more forces, such as gravity. Flowable solid polymers may take various forms. Non-limiting examples of the form of a flowable solid polymer include powders, dust, fine powders, beads, spheres, granules, particles, pellets, lumps, particles, and combinations thereof.

[0099] Multiple flowable solid polymer bodies may include polymer bodies of various sizes. Multiple polymer bodies may have a certain size distribution. The distribution may be irregular, unimodal, or bimodal, or other multimodal distributions. Multiple solid polymer bodies may include, consist of, or essentially consist of, a random distribution of polymer body sizes, or a normal distribution of polymer body sizes such as a log-normal distribution, Gaussian distribution, Weibull distribution, or other types of polymer body size distributions.

[0100] Multiple flowable solid polymer bodies may include, consist of, or essentially consist of solid polymer bodies having size characteristics selected from a wide range of sizes, depending on factors such as the intended mode of use and manufacturing method. In exemplary embodiments, the flowable solid polymer bodies may include, consist of, or essentially consist of solid polymer bodies having the longest size of any one of the following dimensions: 0.5 micrometers to 20 cm, or 1 micron to 10 centimeters, or 1 micron to 5 millimeters, or 1 micron to 1500 microns, or 1 micron to 1000 microns.

[0101] These ranges refer to the longest size in any one dimension, but these same ranges also illustrate the size characteristics of a group of multiple flowable solid polymer bodies in terms of average particle (or body) size and / or median particle size. The group of flowable solid polymer bodies may or may not include fine powder. Fine powder is a flowable solid polymer body having a longest size in any one dimension less than 500 microns, for example, in the size range of 0.1 microns to 500 microns.

[0102] The longest dimension size, average particle size, and / or median particle size may be measured by a wide range of techniques, including sieving analysis, sedimentation (e.g., hydrometer or pipette method), dynamic image analysis, laser diffraction, static image analysis, and dynamic light scattering. However, for the purposes of the present invention, the particle size of the polymer body is preferably measured by laser diffraction.

[0103] In preferred embodiments, the fluidity characteristics of the dried fluid solid polymer are measured using a pipe test. According to the pipe test, the fluid solid polymer processed according to the present invention has a mass flow rate of at least 3 polymer bodies / second, or at least 10 polymer bodies / second, or even at least 25 polymer bodies / second when dispensed from a hopper under gravity through a vertical cylindrical pipe of polished stainless steel (304 grade) having a diameter at least 20 times the longest size dimension of the polymer body being tested. The fluid solid polymer bodies described herein are not particularly limited by shape and may have a single shape or a variety of shapes. Non-limiting examples of polymer body shapes include irregular shapes, spheres, ovals, cubes, cuboids, rhombuses, cylindrical shapes, pyramidal shapes, elliptic shapes, cones, frustocones, trapezoids, prismatic shapes, shapes approximating any of the above, and any combination thereof.

[0104] The polymer material used to form a solid fluid polymer may comprise at least one organic polymer and / or at least one inorganic polymer. An organic polymer is a polymer containing at least one carbon atom in its backbone. An inorganic polymer is a polymer that does not contain a carbon atom in its backbone. In many embodiments, the polymer material may comprise at least one natural and / or synthetic organic polymer. The polymer material may have a variety of backbone configurations, including linear, branched, cyclic, and combinations thereof. The polymer material may be aromatic or aliphatic. The polymer material may be saturated or unsaturated. The polymer material may be substituted with or contain pendant functional groups such as hydroxyl, amine, carbon-carbon double bond, ether, ester, nitrile, epoxide, carboxylate, sulfonate, phosphate, quaternary ammonium, thio, phenyl, hydrocarbyl, or combinations thereof. The backbone may comprise one or more heteroatoms such as P, S, N, and / or O.

[0105] Non-limiting and exemplary examples of suitable organic polymers include polyethylene; polystyrene; polypropylene; other olefin polymers and copolymers, such as ethylene-propylene copolymers and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, and combinations thereof; polyurethanes, polyesters, polycarbonates, proteins, starches, polyvinyl chloride, fluoropolymers, polyacetals, polyamides, polyimides, poly(meth)acrylates, cellulose, acrylonitriles, and combinations thereof. Examples of inorganic polymer materials include one or more of the following: polysulfides, polysilanes, polysiloxanes, polyphosphazenes, polyborazines, polyaminoboranes, polythiazyls, polyphosphates, polyborates, and combinations thereof.

[0106] In this context, “copolymer” means a polymer made of two or more chemically distinct types of monomers. Therefore, the term “copolymer” includes copolymers containing polymers with two monomer residues, three polymer residues (terpolymers), four monomer residues (quadrapolymers), and five or more monomer residues. A flowable solid polymer body may contain, consist of, or essentially consist of multiple polymer pellets. Polymer pellets are flowable solid polymer bodies that may be produced by an extrusion-pelletization process. In exemplary embodiments where polymer pellets are used as raw materials for manufacturing polymer-containing articles, a typical polymer pellet may have a maximum length of 0.7 microns to 2 millimeters, or 0.7 microns to 1.5 millimeters, or 1 micron to 1 millimeter in any one dimension of each polymer pellet. Polymer pellets may be supplied in various forms, such as beads, spheres, cylinders, flakes, chips, slices, fragments, or any other form. As used herein, the term “pellet” does not refer to latex / emulsion micelles.

[0107] The fluid solid polymer body may or may not contain fine powder (solid polymer particles having a maximum diameter of 1 to 500 microns). Fluid solid polymer bodies containing fine powder are particularly prone to contaminating the surfaces they come into contact with, even when carried by a liquid such as water. However, the mixture of the fluid solid polymer body and the aqueous treatment composition of the present invention may, advantageously, be less prone to excessive contamination of the surfaces they come into contact with than, for example, a mixture of the fluid solid polymer body and an aqueous carrier fluid that does not contain both the first and second nonionic surfactants.

[0108] After contacting a plurality of fluid solid polymer bodies with the aqueous treatment composition of the present invention, the method may further include separating at least a portion of the treatment composition from at least a portion of the treated fluid solid polymer bodies in the mixture. The separation may be carried out by filtration, centrifugation, decantation, or any combination thereof. Advantageously, at least a portion of the treatment composition separated from the bulk of treated fluid solid polymer bodies may be reused to treat further fluid solid polymer bodies with or without additional water, an additional first nonionic surfactant, and / or an additional second nonionic surfactant.

[0109] In many cases, when separating the treated fluid solid polymer from the treatment composition, the bulk of the fluid solid polymer is separated from the bulk of the treatment composition. However, at least a portion of the surface of the bulk of the fluid solid polymer may still be wet with a portion of the treatment composition. Therefore, the method may further include drying the treated fluid solid polymer to remove the residual treatment composition. The wet fluid solid polymer may be dried, for example, in a centrifugal dryer, when most of the water and / or any other volatile solvent in the aqueous treatment composition has evaporated.

[0110] For example, when stored in a containment vessel such as a silo, handling and recovery of the fluid solid polymer from the containment vessel may rely on gravity or other forces to allow the fluid solid polymer to flow collectively out of the containment vessel when the containment vessel is opened. However, the fluid solid polymer may not flow sufficiently out of the containment vessel, or may even be retained therein. For example, adhesion of the fluid solid polymers to each other and to the internal surface of the containment vessel in which they are in contact may be sufficient to hinder or even prevent the free flow of the fluid solid polymer. However, a dried fluid solid polymer pre-treated with the treatment composition by contact with the treatment composition may flow out of the containment vessel more easily than a similar fluid solid polymer that has not been treated with the treatment composition. If both the polymer and the containment vessel surface are treated with the treatment composition of the present invention, the flow is further improved. The use of the treatment composition of the present invention for treating surfaces to reduce contamination is described further below.

[0111] The fluid solid polymer or its precursor (e.g., the molten form before, during, and / or after pelletization) in this method may be at a high temperature. Advantageously, the aqueous treatment composition of the present invention may be effective for both treating the fluid solid polymer and cooling the solid polymer.

[0112] In this context, “high temperature” may refer to any temperature higher than 30°C, for example, 30°C to 300°C, or 60°C to 250°C, or 90°C to 200°C, or 50°C to 100°C, or 100°C to 200°C, or 50°C to 250°C, or 60°C to 110°C, or 70°C to 110°C, or 80°C to 110°C, or 40°C to 100°C, or 60°C to 100°C, or 70°C to 100°C.

[0113] The treatment compositions described herein may be used as cooling compositions in such a manner when the fluid solid polymer or its molten precursor is at a high temperature. In some such embodiments, the fluid solid polymer may, upon contact with the treatment composition, be at a temperature lower than its glass transition temperature and its melting point, or even between its glass transition temperature and its melting point. The molten precursor may be at a temperature higher than its glass transition temperature, or even higher than its melting point. In the embodiment of the present invention, the glass transition temperature is measured using differential scanning calorimetry. The melting point is determined by differential scanning calorimetry.

[0114] The cooling composition may be at any suitable temperature that is effective in cooling the polymer material to the desired cooling temperature. In some embodiments, if the treatment composition is also used as a cooling medium, it may be supplied at a temperature of less than 100°C, or less than 90°C, or less than 80°C, or less than 70°C, or less than 60°C, or less than 50°C, or less than 25°C, or less than 10°C before the treatment composition comes into contact with the hot, flowing polymer or its precursor.

[0115] Extrusion method

[0116] According to one aspect of the present invention, the extrusion method comprises melt-extruding a polymer and contacting the extruded material with any of the aqueous treatment compositions described herein. The aqueous treatment composition may act for both treating and cooling the extruded material.

[0117] The polymer may be extruded into a bath or other containment vessel containing the aqueous treatment composition, and / or the aqueous treatment composition may be sprayed, poured, or otherwise applied to or in contact with the extruded material.

[0118] This method may further include dividing the extruded material into a fluid solid polymer while it is still molten, partially molten, or after it has solidified. The extruded material may be divided before, during, and / or after contact with the aqueous treatment composition.

[0119] The divided extruded material may form a mixture with the treatment composition. The mixture may include, consist of, or essentially consist of a flowable solid polymer body and the treatment composition.

[0120] The splitting of the extruded material may include, consist of, or be essentially composed of pelletization. If the extruded material is pelletized, the resulting polymer pellets may have any of the sizes or shapes described above.

[0121] Exemplary embodiments of the extrusion and pelletizing method are described here with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 schematically shows System 1 and the associated polymer extrusion and pelletizing process having the following components and features.

[0122] Parts list

[0123] 1 System

[0124] 10. Screw extruder

[0125] 20 Pelletizer

[0126] 30 vacuum

[0127] 40 Polymers, for example, polymers from reaction

[0128] 50 Additives

[0129] 60 Centrifugal dryer

[0130] 70 scrap pellets

[0131] 80 Makeup water

[0132] 90 water tanks

[0133] 100 Blowdown

[0134] 110 Heat exchanger

[0135] 120 Classifier

[0136] 130 scrap

[0137] 140 Check Hopper

[0138] 150 silos

[0139] 160 steam

[0140] 170 Rotary-blade feeder

[0141] 180 Orbital car

[0142] 190 Cooling water

[0143] 200 The first pellets

[0144] 210 Supply Tank 1

[0145] 220 Supply Tank 2

[0146] 230 pumps

[0147] 240 Cooling water

[0148] 250 Cooling water

[0149] 260 Cooling water

[0150] 270 pellets that are at least partially dried

[0151] 280 graded pellets

[0152] 290 pellets

[0153] 300 surface

[0154] 310 spray

[0155] 320 nozzles

[0156] 330 Coating

[0157] In System 1, the polymer 40, along with additives 50 incorporated into the polymer via the action of the extruder, is supplied into a screw extruder 10. The polymer is melted in the screw extruder 10 and extruded in molten form into a pelletizer 20, where the polymer is cooled in place by contact with cooling water 260 and the resulting contact, producing pellets and forming polymer pellets 200. Generally, pelletizing separates the polymer into smaller, distinct polymer pieces by cutting, shredding, or other means. The molten polymer 40 and / or the resulting solid pellets 200 may optionally come into contact with the cooling water 260 before, during, and / or after pelletizing. In exemplary embodiments, the cooling water 260 cools the molten polymer 40 in an effective manner to bring it below its melting point, preferably below its softening point, so that the previously molten polymer 40 becomes solid, thereby facilitating the pelletizing process with the extruded polymer 40 in solid form. Therefore, preferably, the cooling water 260 comes into contact with the extruded polymer 40 before and / or during pelletizing. For example, the molten polymer 40 may be extruded into the cooling water 260 and pelletized therein. Alternatively, the molten polymer 40 may be subdivided into smaller portions, which are then cooled sufficiently by contact with the cooling water 260 to solidify the smaller portions into solid pellets 200.

[0158] A mixture containing solid pellets 200 and cooling water 190 after pelletizing flows into a centrifugal dryer 60, which, by drying action, separates most of the pellets 200 from at least some, preferably most, of the cooling water 190 to produce at least partially dried pellets 270. Some of the dried pellets 270 may be separated as scrap 70 which can be disposed of, recycled, and / or processed in other ways. The remainder of the dried pellets 270 flows into a classifier 120, where the pellets 270 may be sorted by size in place, and the resulting classified pellets 280 are transported to a silo 150 via a check hopper 140, where additional drying and / or degassing of steam 160 from the pellets may take place in place.

[0159] After being separated from the dried pellets 270, the separated cooling water 240 is recycled by first being supplied to the water tank 90, where it may be combined with makeup water 80 to provide a reservoir of cooling water 250. The cooling water 240 is still hot from cooling in contact with the newly extruded polymer 40. The resulting reservoir of cooling water 250 may also be hotter than desired for effective recycling back to the pelletizer 20. Therefore, the cooling water 250 is pumped by the pump 230 from the water tank 90 to the heat exchanger 110, where it is cooled to a suitable temperature to provide cooling water 260 in preparation for reuse to cool the molten polymer 40 in the pelletizer 20. Thus, there is a cooling water circuit (recirculation of the cooling liquid), which flows to the pelletizer 20, the dryer 60, the tank 90, the heat exchanger 110, and back to the pelletizer 20.

[0160] Most of the dry pellets 270 are separated from the cooling water 240, but some pellet material, including at least some fine particles (as defined above), may still be carried with the cooling water 240 or transported to the cooling water 240 by other means. Such carried pellet material may be moved with the cooling water 240 to the tank 90, then to the pump 230, the heat exchanger 110, and back to the pelletizer 20.

[0161] In general, untreated dry polymer pellets, especially fine particles, can adhere not only to each other (clogging) but also to the surfaces they come into contact with. This is also true for pellets present in cooling water. Therefore, in conventional processes, the surface of the apparatus in System 1 of Figure 1, which comes into contact with water and a mixture of pellet material and / or dry pellet material, can become contaminated with polymer particles such as adhering fine particles. Such contamination and clogging can reduce, obstruct, or even block the flow of the cooling water circuit. The flow of solid polymer pellets can also be obstructed. Therefore, in conventional processes, the extrusion operation must be stopped periodically, more frequently than desired, to clean the heat exchanger surface and other contaminated surfaces. This reduces productivity and involves inconveniences associated with the cleaning process, such as the use of water and other materials, thereby increasing costs, for example, due to loss of productivity and increased labor and material costs. Furthermore, untreated polymer materials tend to require higher drying temperatures, which carries the risk of polymer degradation due to rising temperatures and / or increased residence time at higher temperatures.

[0162] Advantageously, using the processing composition of the present invention as a cooling medium in a pelletizing system such as System 1 in Figure 1 can not only reduce clogging and contamination, but also reduce the drying temperature and / or residence time, thereby reducing the risk of polymer degradation.

[0163] Accordingly, the treatment compositions of the present invention as described herein may be combined and dispersed in cooling waters 260, 190, 240, and 250 to provide diluted treatment compositions of the present invention. As described above, the treatment compositions of the present invention comprise a first nonionic surfactant and a second nonionic surfactant, and optionally also comprise a suitable liquid carrier, polydimethylsiloxane, and / or other optional components described herein. The first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant, as well as any other components of the treatment composition, may be added together or separately to any one or more of the cooling waters 260, 190, 240, and 250 at any convenient location(s) in the cooling water circuit, so that the cooling water not only functions to cool the polymer material but also is the treatment composition of the present invention. The components of the treatment composition may be added to the cooling water circuit simultaneously and / or at different times from each other.

[0164] The components of the treatment composition may be added at the same location in the cooling water circuit or at different locations. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant may be added to the cooling water 250 in the water tank 90 from supply tank 210 (containing the first nonionic surfactant) and supply tank 220 (containing the second nonionic surfactant), respectively. Optionally, one or more optional components may also be incorporated into the cooling water 250. These additional optional components, if present, may be supplied to supply tank 210 and / or supply tank 220 or a separate tank (not shown). In other exemplary embodiments, both the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant may be added from a single supply tank (not shown). The composition in tank 210 containing the first nonionic surfactant may be in the form of an aqueous concentrate or may exist as 100% active ingredient (without carrier liquid, also called "undiluted"). The composition in tank 220 containing the second nonionic surfactant may be in the form of an aqueous concentrate or may exist as 100% active ingredient.

[0165] When compositions from supply tanks 210 and 220, containing the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant described herein, and any other components, are added to cooling water 250, the cooling water 250 becomes the aqueous treatment composition of the present invention. The combination of compositions from tanks 210 and 220 dilutes these compositions. As a result, the surfactant components of the treatment composition are incorporated into the cooling water 250, 260, etc., and the resulting aqueous treatment composition flows around the cooling water circuit as cooling water.

[0166] When the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant are present in the cooling water 250 and then in the cooling water 260, the resulting pellets 200 are treated in a manner that reduces the degree of contamination and clogging. Furthermore, the treated pellets 200 can be dried at a lower temperature and / or with reduced exposure to higher drying temperatures to reduce polymer degradation. As a further advantage, system 1 requires less maintenance, such as cleaning of contaminated heat exchangers, pipes, valves, etc. Therefore, productivity can be improved and labor costs can be reduced.

[0167] Furthermore, when the recirculated cooling waters 260, 190, 240, and 250 constitute the treatment composition of the present invention, pellets 200 containing any fine powder come into contact with the treatment composition. After separating the pellets 270 from the cooling water 240 and drying the pellets, for example, in a centrifugal dryer 60, the separated dried pellets 280 are treated with the treatment composition, i.e., the pellets 280 come into contact with the treatment composition and thus become treated pellets. Treated pellets may be less prone to excessive clogging and contamination than pellets not treated with the treatment composition of the present invention. For example, the dried pellets 280 can flow more easily from the dryer 60 to the classifier 120, from the classifier 120 to the hopper 140, and from the hopper 140 to the silo 150, where the pellets 280 are stored as pellets 290. Furthermore, the flow of pellets 290 from the silo 150, for example, to the railcar 180 under gravity, or other types of further handling can be improved. In addition, the treated pellets 200 supplied to the dryer 60 are easy to dry (e.g., lower temperatures and / or shorter residence times can be used), providing dried pellets 280. The lower the temperature required to dry the treated pellets, the less likely the polymer pellets are to undergo undesirable thermal changes (e.g., surface cracking, yellowing, decomposition, and / or other undesirable effects). While not bound by theory, the inventors of the present invention hypothesize that the components of the treatment composition are retained on the treated surface or otherwise incorporated on or within the surface as a surface treatment (physical adhesion) and / or surface modification (reactive modification) on the dried pellets 280, thereby reducing adhesion between pellets, lowering the surface energy of the pellet-air interface, and / or reducing contamination of surfaces in contact with wet or dried pellets 200, 270, 280, and 290.

[0168] Method for treating a surface, and the treated surface obtained

[0169] In conventional processes, untreated fluid solid polymers may adhere to or otherwise contaminate surfaces. As a result, the movement of fluid solid polymers to one or more surfaces may be hindered by such contamination or adhesion of fluid solid polymers to one or more surfaces. When fluid solid polymers are treated with the treatment compositions of the present invention, the tendency to contaminate is significantly reduced. For example, one advantage is that the flow of fluid solid polymers to a surface may be improved under force, for example, under gravity. Nevertheless, to further improve the flow of fluid solid polymers in contact with a surface (whether or not they are treated with the treatment compositions of the present invention and / or other treatment compositions), the surface may be treated with one of the aqueous treatment compositions of the present invention described herein to provide a surface treatment that makes the treated surface more resistant. In some embodiments, both the surface to be in contact and the fluid solid polymers are treated with the treatment compositions of the present invention.

[0170] A method for treating a surface involves contacting the surface with the aqueous treatment composition of the present invention in a manner effective in providing a treated surface. Preferably, the treated surface is more resistant to contamination by flowable solid polymer bodies than an untreated surface. In some preferred embodiments, “treated surface” means a surface coated with a coating comprising, consisting of, or essentially comprising, a first nonionic surfactant, a second nonionic surfactant, and one or more optional components, as disclosed herein with respect to the treatment compositions of the present invention. The coating may be a dry coating obtained from components comprising at least the aqueous treatment composition. The aqueous treatment composition may be any of the aqueous treatment compositions of the present invention disclosed herein.

[0171] To prepare a treated surface, the step of bringing the surface into contact with the aqueous treatment composition of the present invention may include, consist of, or essentially consist of, applying the treatment composition to the surface by spraying, rolling, brushing, curtain coating, or any other technique that can deposit a continuous or discontinuous layer of the aqueous treatment composition onto the surface.

[0172] Any surface that comes into contact with a flowable solid polymer body in dry or wet form can benefit from surface treatment. For example, the surface may be the internal surface of equipment such as pelletizers, separators, or dryers; the piping through which wet or dry pellets are transported; the storage containers such as silos through which wet or dry pellets are stored; or any other type of surface.

[0173] After applying an aqueous treatment composition to a surface to be treated, the resulting wet coating can be dried, or dried to provide a dry surface treatment. For example, the method may further include separating at least a portion of the aqueous liquid carrier from the surface to provide a surface treatment comprising a dry coating on all or part of the surface to be treated. The resulting coating comprises at least a portion of a first nonionic surfactant and at least a portion of a second nonionic surfactant from the applied aqueous treatment composition. Such separation may be achieved with or without assistance from any suitable drying technique, for example, by drying the surface in air or another atmosphere (e.g., an inert atmosphere such as one or more of nitrogen, CO2, argon, etc.), by artificially applied heat (e.g., by heating the surface or the air or atmosphere in contact with the surface), by moving (spraying) air or atmosphere, by applying a vacuum to extract the liquid as vapor, or a combination thereof.

[0174] The advantages of using the treatment composition of the present invention to treat a surface are described here in an exemplary context in which the resulting treated container is used to store a flowable solid polymer. In a preferred embodiment, at least a portion of the surface of the container that comes into contact with the flowable solid polymer, and both the flowable solid polymer and the container itself are treated with the treatment composition of the present invention. Treating the surface of the container may help protect against surface contamination, but treating both the container and the flowable solid polymer provides further protection against contamination and also helps to prevent the flowable solid polymers from clogging each other.

[0175] A method of using a treated containment container may involve placing multiple fluid solid polymer bodies (treated or untreated, preferably treated with the treatment composition of the present invention) within an internal volume defined by the containment container. The fluid solid polymer bodies may be any of the fluid solid polymer bodies of the present invention described herein. As a result of the surface treatment of the containment container, the stored fluid solid polymer bodies exhibit less tendency to contaminate or otherwise adhere to the containment container surface. Consequently, the fluid solid polymer bodies are easily distributed into and easily withdrawn from the containment container.

[0176] Exemplary embodiments of methods for treating a surface and then using the resulting treated surface are described here with reference to Figures 4 and 5, respectively. Referring to Figure 4, the aqueous treatment composition of the present invention may be applied to a surface 300 by any suitable application technique. For illustrative purposes, for example, a spray 310 of the aqueous treatment composition is applied to the surface 300 from a nozzle 320. The surface 300 may be one or more flowable solid polymer bodies or any surface that can come into contact with the surface of a polymer body. While some previously known aqueous surfactant solutions tend to produce excessive foaming when sprayed or subjected to shear or other stirring forces, advantageously, the aqueous treatment composition of the present invention can resist the formation of excessive amounts of foam when sprayed. In other embodiments, some degree of foaming may be desirable when spraying onto the surface to be treated, because the foaming material may adhere better to the surface to be treated rather than peeling off in a sheet before the desired degree of treatment occurs. Therefore, the application of spray 310 may be carried out under conditions that are effective in producing foam that adheres better to the surface than embodiments with less foaming or no foaming. Alternatively, in contrast to applying a spray material that peels off excessively quickly from the surface in a sheet-like manner, one or more optional additives can be incorporated into the treatment composition to facilitate coating of the surface being treated.

[0177] Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the surface 300 may be dried or otherwise dried so that water and any other volatile solvents (if present) evaporate, leaving a dried coating 330 on the surface 300 as the surface treatment of the present invention. The dried coating 330 may contain a first nonionic surfactant, a second nonionic surfactant, and, if present, one or more of the optional components.

[0178] Surface 300 may be any surface that can come into contact with the fluid polymer body as described herein. Non-limiting examples include surfaces of containment vessels, pelletizers, dryers, separators, distillation apparatuses, classifiers, heat exchangers, pumps, impellers, blades, conveyor surfaces, gauges, extruders, chutes, etc. Non-limiting examples of containment vessels include silos, pipes, railcars, tanks, classifiers, hoppers, bags, cartons, etc. [Examples]

[0179] The following examples are intended to illustrate different aspects and embodiments of the present invention and should not be considered to limit the scope of the invention. It will be recognized that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the claims.

[0180] Example 1: Foam Screening Test

[0181] A 0.1 wt percent stock solution (1,000 parts by weight of surfactant per 1 million parts by weight of solution) was prepared by dissolving the nonionic surfactant TERGITOL™ 15-S-7 (substrate surfactant) and the ethoxylate of a C12-C14 secondary alcohol in distilled water.

[0182] Separate aliquots were taken from 0.1 wt% stock solution of TERGITOL™, and different test materials were added to each portion to prepare 1,000 wt parts of each test material in an aqueous mixture of TERGITOL and the test material. Thus, each bottle contained an aqueous mixture with 0.1 wt% (1000 wt ppm) of TERGITOL 15-S-7 and 0.1 wt% (1000 wt ppm) of the test material. Each bottle was shaken, and the results were visually evaluated to determine whether and to what extent foaming occurred. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0183] [Table 1]

[0184] TERGITOL® 15-S-7 is a C12-C14 ethoxylated secondary alcohol (100% active ingredient) with an average of approximately 7 moles of ethylene oxide groups (-CH2CH2O) per molecule and an HLB of 12.1. TERGITOL 15-S-7 is available from Dow Chemical Company (Midland, Michigan, USA).

[0185] Example 2: Foam Screening Test

[0186] The experiment conducted in Example 1 was repeated using additional test materials. Each bottle contained an aqueous mixture containing 0.1% by weight (1000 ppm by weight) of TERGITOL 15-S-7 and 0.1% by weight (1000 ppm) of the test material. Each bottle was shaken, and the relative height of the bubbles was visually determined. The results are shown in Table 2 and visually represented in Figure 2.

[0187] [Table 2]

[0188] Shaking results: 0 = no bubbles, 1 = some bubbles, 4 = bubble height more than 4 times the bubble height represented by a score of 1.

[0189] PEG diesters are tall oil acid diesters of polyethylene glycol.

[0190] SPECFLEX® NC 701 is a hydrophobic polyglycol available from Dow Chemical Company (Midland, Michigan, USA).

[0191] VORANOL® 8000 LM is available from Dow Chemical Company (Midland, MI, USA).

[0192] VORANOL 4000 LM is a polypropylene glycol available from Dow Chemical Company (Midland, MI, USA).

[0193] Formulation A is a composition comprising 60% by weight of SPECFLEX NC 701, 30% by weight of the above-mentioned PEG diester, and 10% by weight of dipropylene glycol.

[0194] Formulation B is a composition comprising 60% by weight of VORANOL® 8000LM, 30% by weight of PR-475, and 10% by weight of dipropylene glycol.

[0195] Formulation C is a composition comprising 60% by weight of polypropylene glycol, 30% by weight of the above-mentioned PEG diester, and 10% by weight of dipropylene glycol.

[0196] PDMS-modified silica is a silica sol modified by a reaction with polydimethylsiloxane.

[0197] Example 3: Foam Test

[0198] A 1000 mL aqueous stock solution of TERGITOL 15-S-7 at a concentration of 0.1% by weight (1000 ppm by weight) was prepared. 100 mL aliquots of each TERGITOL stock solution were placed in a 1000 mL graduated cylinder, and different test materials were added to each aliquot (except for trial 19) to prepare the compositions shown in Table 3.

[0199] The defoaming efficiency of each composition was measured using a modified version of ASTM D892. Nitrogen gas was used for dispersion. Nitrogen gas was passed through the composition at a nitrogen flow rate of 725 mL / min to bubble and disperse additional surfactants. The height of the bubbles in the cylinder was measured at 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, and 120 seconds after the start of the nitrogen flow. The results are shown in Table 3 and visually represented in Figure 3.

[0200] [Table 3]

[0201] Aqueous PDMS-modified silica is a silica sol modified by reaction with polydimethylsiloxane.

[0202] PLURAFAC(registered trademark) 224 is an ethoxylated butoxylated alcohol, and the alcohol is mainly an unbranched C10-C16 alcohol available from BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany).

[0203] PLURAFAC® 403 is an ethoxylated propoxylated alcohol available from BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany).

[0204] TETRONIC® 90R4 is a tetrafunctional block copolymer with terminal secondary hydroxyl groups, available from BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany).

[0205] Referring to Figure 3, the blank test, Trial 19 (Tergitol 15-S-7 without additional surfactants), showed the most foaming. The trials showing the least foaming were those with aqueous PDMS-modified silica (Trial 20) and 2000 ppm PLURAFAC 224 (Trial 21) as additional surfactants. Both trials showed excellent results. Therefore, PDMS-modified silica (Trial 20) and 2000 ppm PLURAFAC 224 (Trial 21), respectively, were most effective in reducing the foaming of Tergitol 15-S-7.

[0206] Example 4: Foam test and sequence of surfactant addition

[0207] A 1000 mL aqueous stock solution of TERGITOL 15-S-7 at 0.1 wt% (1000 wt ppm) was prepared. A 1000 mL aqueous solution of PLURAFAC 224 at 0.1 wt% (1000 wt ppm) was also prepared. Two addition sequences were investigated.

[0208] External mixing

[0209] A 100 mL aliquot of TERGITOL stock solution was combined with 200 mL (microliters) of aqueous PLURAFAC 224 and mixed. The mixture was then placed in a 1000 mL graduated cylinder to prepare the first composition.

[0210] A second composition was prepared by combining a second 100 mL aliquot of TERGITOL stock solution with a 100 mL (microliter) TERGITOL stock solution.

[0211] The defoaming efficiency of the first and second compositions was measured using a modified version of ASTM D892. Nitrogen gas was used for dispersion. Nitrogen gas was passed through the compositions at a nitrogen flow rate of 725 mL / min for bubbling. The height of the bubbles in the cylinder was measured 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105, and 120 seconds after the start of the nitrogen flow.

[0212] The results are shown in Figure 6.

[0213] Internal mixing

[0214] A 100 mL aliquot of TERGITOL stock solution was transferred to a 1000 ml graduated cylinder. 200 mL (microliters) of aqueous PLURAFAC 224 was added to the aqueous TERGITOL in the graduated cylinder without mixing to prepare the combination.

[0215] After adding aqueous PLURAFAC 224 to the cylinder, the defoaming efficiency of this combination was measured using a modified version of ASTM D892. Nitrogen gas was used for dispersion. Nitrogen gas was passed through the combination at a nitrogen flow rate of 725 mL / min and bubbled, thereby dispersing the additional surfactant. The foam height in the cylinder was measured 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105, and 120 seconds after the start of the nitrogen flow.

[0216] The results are shown in Figure 6.

[0217] As can be seen in Figure 6, pre-mixing the two aqueous surfactants resulted in more foam being generated in the system than when aqueous PLURAFAC 224 was added to aqueous TERGITOL 15-S-7.

Claims

1. A method for processing multiple polymer pellets, wherein the method is The process involves contacting the polymer pellets with an aqueous treatment composition, wherein the aqueous treatment composition is i) an aqueous liquid carrier, ii) A first nonionic surfactant comprising multiple ethylene oxide groups and multiple butylene oxide groups, iii) A second nonionic surfactant containing multiple ethylene oxide groups, A method wherein the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant are different from each other.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising separating at least a portion of the aqueous liquid carrier from the pellets to provide polymer pellets coated with at least a portion of the first nonionic surfactant and at least a portion of the second nonionic surfactant.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising separating at least a portion of the aqueous treatment composition from the pellets to provide polymer pellets coated with at least a portion of the aqueous treatment composition.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising drying the polymer pellets coated with at least a portion of the aqueous treatment composition to provide polymer pellets coated with at least a portion of the first nonionic surfactant and at least a portion of the second nonionic surfactant.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first nonionic surfactant comprises an alkoxylated alcohol.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the alkoxylated alcohol has the formula Bh-O-Ax-Y, where Bh is a hydrocarbyl group, O is an oxygen atom, Ax is an alkoxylate moiety comprising the plurality of ethylene oxide groups and the plurality of butylene oxide groups, and Y is a monovalent moiety selected from hydrogen and hydrocarbyl.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein Bh is a C8-C18 alkyl group.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein Y is hydrogen.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the alkylene oxide group in the first nonionic surfactant is unsubstituted.

10. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the alkoxylated alcohol is an ethoxylated butoxylated aliphatic alcohol.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the aliphatic alcohol is mainly an unbranched C10-C16 aliphatic alcohol.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the second nonionic surfactant comprises an ethoxylated alcohol.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the ethoxylated alcohol has the formula Ch-O-(Ex)-Z, where Ch is a hydrocarbyl moiety, Ex is an alkoxylate moiety containing an ethylene oxide group, O is oxygen, and Z is hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl group, or another monovalent entity.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein Ch is a C10-C16 alkyl group.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein Z is hydrogen.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the ethylene oxide group in the second nonionic surfactant is an unsubstituted ethylene oxide group.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the ethoxylated alcohol is an ethoxylated aliphatic alcohol.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the ethoxylated aliphatic alcohol is an ethoxylate of a secondary C10-C16 aliphatic alcohol.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the aqueous treatment composition further comprises a polysiloxane.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the aqueous treatment composition further comprises a polysiloxane-modified silica sol.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the polysiloxane-modified silica sol comprises a polydimethylsiloxane-modified silica sol.

22. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein the number average particle size of the plurality of polymer pellets is 1 micron to 1,000 microns.

23. A method for processing a containment vessel that defines its internal volume, wherein the method is The method includes contacting the inner surface of the containment vessel with an aqueous treatment composition in a manner effective for providing a treated containment vessel having a treated inner surface, wherein the aqueous treatment composition is i) an aqueous liquid carrier, ii) A first nonionic surfactant comprising multiple ethylene oxide groups and multiple butylene oxide groups, iii) A method comprising a second nonionic surfactant containing a plurality of ethylene oxide groups, wherein the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant are different from each other.

24. The method described above is The method according to claim 23, further comprising separating at least a portion of the aqueous liquid carrier from the inner surface and providing a coating on the inner surface, wherein the coating comprises at least a portion of the first nonionic surfactant and at least a portion of the second nonionic surfactant.

25. The method according to claim 23 or 24, further comprising arranging polymer pellets in the storage container.

26. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 25, wherein the first nonionic surfactant comprises an alkoxylated alcohol.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the alkoxylated alcohol has the formula Bh-O-Ax-Y, where Bh is a hydrocarbyl group, O is an oxygen atom, Ax is an alkoxylate moiety comprising the plurality of ethylene oxide groups and the plurality of butylene oxide groups, and Y is a monovalent moiety selected from hydrogen and hydrocarbyl.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein Bh is a C8-C18 alkyl group.

29. The method according to claim 27 or 28, wherein Y is hydrogen.

30. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 29, wherein the ethylene oxide group and the butylene oxide group in the first nonionic surfactant are unsubstituted.

31. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 30, wherein the alkoxylated alcohol is an ethoxylated butoxylated aliphatic alcohol.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the aliphatic alcohol is mainly an unbranched C10-C16 aliphatic alcohol.

33. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 32, wherein the second nonionic surfactant comprises an ethoxylated alcohol.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the ethoxylated alcohol has the formula Ch-O-(Ex)-Z, where Ch is a hydrocarbyl moiety, Ex is an alkoxylate moiety containing an ethylene oxide group, O is oxygen, and Z is hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl group, or another monovalent entity selected from hydrogen and hydrocarbyl.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein Ch is a secondary C10-C16 alkyl group.

36. The method according to claim 34 or 35, wherein Z is hydrogen.

37. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 36, wherein the ethylene oxide group in the second nonionic surfactant is an unsubstituted ethylene oxide group.

38. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 37, wherein the ethoxylated aliphatic alcohol is an ethoxylate of a secondary C10-C16 aliphatic alcohol.

39. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 38, wherein the aqueous treatment composition further comprises a polysiloxane.

40. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 39, wherein the aqueous treatment composition further comprises a polysiloxane-modified silica sol.

41. The method according to claim 40, wherein the polysiloxane-modified silica sol comprises a polydimethylsiloxane-modified silica sol.

42. A method for extruding a polymer, wherein the method is (a) Forming an extruded product by melt extrusion of a polymer, (b) bringing the extruded material into contact with a cooling composition, The cooling composition is i) an aqueous liquid carrier, ii) A first nonionic surfactant comprising multiple ethylene oxide groups and multiple butylene oxide groups, iii) A method comprising a second nonionic surfactant containing a plurality of ethylene oxide groups, wherein the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant are different from each other.

43. The above method proceeds in the following order: The second nonionic surfactant is added to the cooling water located in the recirculation system of the extruder-pelletizer, The method according to claim 42, comprising adding the first nonionic surfactant to the cooling water and the second nonionic surfactant to provide the cooling composition.

44. The method according to claim 42 or 43, wherein the method comprises pelletizing the extruded material, and step (b) is performed before, during, and / or after the pelletizing.

45. The method according to claim 44, further comprising separating at least a portion of the cooling composition from the pelletized extruded material to provide a plurality of polymer pellets coated with at least a portion of the first nonionic surfactant and at least a portion of the second nonionic surfactant.

46. The method according to claim 45, wherein the separation includes drying the pelletized extruded material.

47. The method according to any one of claims 42 to 46, wherein the first nonionic surfactant comprises an alkoxylated alcohol.

48. The alkoxylated alcohol, The method according to claim 47, having Bh-O-Ax-Y, wherein Bh is a hydrocarbyl group, O is an oxygen atom, Ax is an alkoxylate moiety comprising the plurality of ethylene oxide groups and the plurality of butylene oxide groups, and Y is a monovalent moiety selected from hydrogen and hydrocarbyl.

49. The method according to claim 48, wherein Bh is a C8-C18 alkyl group.

50. The method according to claim 48 or 49, wherein Y is hydrogen.

51. The method according to any one of claims 42 to 50, wherein the alkylene oxide group in the first nonionic surfactant is unsubstituted.

52. The method according to any one of claims 46 to 51, wherein the alkoxylated alcohol is an ethoxylated butoxylated aliphatic alcohol.

53. The method according to claim 52, wherein the aliphatic alcohol is mainly an unbranched C10-C16 aliphatic alcohol.

54. The method according to any one of claims 42 to 53, wherein the second nonionic surfactant comprises an ethoxylated alcohol.

55. The method according to claim 54, wherein the ethoxylated alcohol has the formula Ch-O-(Ex)-Z, where Ch is a hydrocarbyl moiety, Ex is an alkoxylate moiety containing an ethylene oxide group, O is oxygen, and Z is hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl group, or another monovalent entity.

56. The method according to claim 55, wherein Ch is a C10-C16 alkyl group.

57. The method according to claim 55 or 56, wherein Z is hydrogen.

58. The method according to any one of claims 54 to 57, wherein the ethylene oxide group in the second nonionic surfactant is an unsubstituted ethylene oxide group.

59. The method according to any one of claims 54 to 58, wherein the ethoxylated alcohol is an ethoxylated aliphatic alcohol.

60. The method according to claim 59, wherein the ethoxylated aliphatic alcohol is an ethoxylate of a secondary C10-C16 aliphatic alcohol.

61. The method according to any one of claims 42 to 60, wherein the cooling composition further comprises a polysiloxane.

62. The method according to any one of claims 42 to 61, wherein the aqueous treatment composition further comprises a polysiloxane-modified silica sol.

63. The method according to claim 62, wherein the polysiloxane-modified silica sol comprises a polydimethylsiloxane-modified silica sol.

64. A processed composition, a) A first nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene oxide groups and a plurality of butylene oxide groups, b) A treatment composition comprising a second nonionic surfactant containing a plurality of ethylene oxide groups, wherein the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant are different from each other.

65. The treatment composition according to claim 64, wherein the first nonionic surfactant comprises an alkoxylated alcohol.

66. The treatment composition according to claim 65, wherein the alkoxylated alcohol has the formula Bh-O-Ax-Y, where Bh is a hydrocarbyl group, O is an oxygen atom, Ax is an alkoxylate moiety comprising the plurality of ethylene oxide groups and the plurality of butylene oxide groups, and Y is a monovalent moiety selected from hydrogen and hydrocarbyl.

67. The treatment composition according to claim 66, wherein Bh is a C8-C18 alkyl group.

68. The treatment composition according to claim 66 or 67, wherein Y is hydrogen.

69. The treatment composition according to any one of claims 64 to 68, wherein the alkylene oxide group in the first nonionic surfactant is unsubstituted.

70. The treatment composition according to any one of claims 65 to 68, wherein the alkoxylated alcohol is an ethoxylated butoxylated aliphatic alcohol.

71. The treatment composition according to claim 70, wherein the aliphatic alcohol is mainly an unbranched C10-C16 aliphatic alcohol.

72. The treatment composition according to any one of claims 63 to 71, wherein the second nonionic surfactant comprises an ethoxylated alcohol.

73. The treatment composition according to claim 72, wherein the ethoxylated alcohol has the formula Ch-O-(Ex)-Z, where Ch is a hydrocarbyl moiety, Ex is an alkoxylate moiety containing an ethylene oxide group, O is oxygen, and Z is hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl group, or another monovalent entity.

74. The treatment composition according to claim 73, wherein Ch is a C10-C16 alkyl group.

75. The treatment composition according to claim 73 or 74, wherein Z is hydrogen.

76. The treatment composition according to any one of claims 64 to 75, wherein the ethylene oxide group in the second nonionic surfactant is an unsubstituted ethylene oxide group.

77. The treatment composition according to any one of claims 72 to 76, wherein the ethoxylated alcohol is an ethoxylated aliphatic alcohol.

78. The treatment composition according to claim 77, wherein the ethoxylated aliphatic alcohol is an ethoxylate of a secondary C10-C16 aliphatic alcohol.

79. The treatment composition according to any one of claims 64 to 78, wherein the aqueous treatment composition further comprises a polysiloxane.

80. The treatment composition according to any one of claims 64 to 79, wherein the aqueous treatment composition further comprises a polysiloxane-modified silica sol.

81. The treatment composition according to claim 80, wherein the polysiloxane-modified silica sol comprises a polydimethylsiloxane-modified silica sol.

82. An aqueous treatment composition comprising the treatment composition according to any one of claims 64 to 81, further comprising an aqueous carrier.

83. The aqueous treatment composition according to claim 82, wherein the aqueous carrier is essentially water.

84. A mixture of polymer pellets and the aqueous treatment composition according to claim 82 or 83.

85. A plurality of treated polymer pellets, each of which includes an outer surface, the outer surface being at least partially coated with a treatment agent, the treatment agent being a) A first nonionic surfactant comprising a plurality of ethylene oxide groups and a plurality of butylene oxide groups, b) A plurality of treated polymer pellets comprising a second nonionic surfactant containing a plurality of ethylene oxide groups, wherein the first nonionic surfactant and the second nonionic surfactant are different from each other.

86. The plurality of polymer pellets according to claim 85, wherein the first nonionic surfactant comprises an alkoxylated alcohol.

87. The plurality of polymer pellets according to claim 86, wherein the alkoxylated alcohol has the formula Bh-O-Ax-Y, where Bh is a hydrocarbyl group, O is an oxygen atom, Ax is an alkoxylate moiety comprising the plurality of ethylene oxide groups and the plurality of butylene oxide groups, and Y is a monovalent moiety selected from hydrogen and hydrocarbyl.

88. A plurality of polymer pellets according to claim 87, wherein Bh is a C8-C18 alkyl group.

89. A plurality of polymer pellets according to claim 87 or 88, wherein Y is hydrogen.

90. A plurality of polymer pellets according to any one of claims 85 to 89, wherein the alkylene oxide group in the first nonionic surfactant is unsubstituted.

91. A plurality of polymer pellets according to any one of claims 85 to 90, wherein the alkoxylated alcohol is an ethoxylated butoxylated aliphatic alcohol.

92. The plurality of polymer pellets according to claim 91, wherein the aliphatic alcohol is mainly an unbranched C10-C16 aliphatic alcohol.

93. A plurality of polymer pellets according to any one of claims 85 to 92, wherein the second nonionic surfactant comprises an ethoxylated alcohol.

94. A plurality of polymer pellets according to claim 93, wherein the ethoxylated alcohol has the formula Ch-O-(Ex)-Z, where Ch is a hydrocarbyl moiety, Ex is an alkoxylate moiety containing an ethylene oxide group, O is oxygen, and Z is hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl group, or another monovalent entity.

95. A plurality of polymer pellets according to claim 93, wherein Ch is a C10-C16 alkyl group.

96. A plurality of polymer pellets according to claim 93 or 94, wherein Z is hydrogen.

97. A plurality of polymer pellets according to any one of claims 85 to 96, wherein the ethylene oxide group in the second nonionic surfactant is an unsubstituted ethylene oxide group.

98. A plurality of polymer pellets according to any one of claims 93 to 97, wherein the ethoxylated alcohol is an ethoxylated aliphatic alcohol.

99. The plurality of polymer pellets according to claim 98, wherein the ethoxylated aliphatic alcohol is an ethoxylate of a secondary C10-C16 aliphatic alcohol.

100. A plurality of polymer pellets according to any one of claims 85 to 99, wherein the processing agent further comprises a polysiloxane.

101. A plurality of polymer pellets according to any one of claims 85 to 100, wherein the processing agent comprises a polysiloxane-modified silica sol.

102. The plurality of polymer pellets according to claim 101, wherein the polysiloxane-modified silica sol comprises a polydimethylsiloxane-modified silica sol.

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