On the degradation and stabilization of poly(methyl methacrylate) in a continuous process

Thermally unstable polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate) are degraded considerably during industrial processing. This degradation and its reduction to a minimum have been investigated in both lab and continuous pilot-scale experiments. A three-step degradation mechanism, starting at 180 degreesC, was proved by Thermogravimetrical Analysis (TGA) and a kinetic approach to describe it was derived. The knowledge of this degradation behavior was then applied to a pilot-scale process with a production rate of 10 kg/h and the process yield loss during the devolatilization step was investigated. Using heat stabilizers, the overall process yield could be improved by 10 %, whereas the residual organic volatiles concentration (VOC) was drastically reduced to values below 1000 ppm. In order to preserve the molecular weight of the final product these stabilizers were added into the process, separately, at the end of the polymerization reaction but before the devolatilization step.