JP2013249379A - Method for producing conjugated diene-based polymer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing a conjugated diene-based polymer not using fossil resources as a starting substance.SOLUTION: A method for producing a conjugated diene-based polymer comprises bulk polymerizing a monomer (A) containing a bio-conjugated diene monomer synthesized from a resource of biologic origin including plant resources, where the monomer (A) is bulk polymerized in the presence of less than 20 mass% of an organic solvent (B) to the total mass [(A)+(B)+(C)] of the monomer (A) containing the bio-conjugated diene monomer, the organic solvent (B) and a produced polymer (C).

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a conjugated diene polymer not using a fossil resource as a starting material.

In recent years, a method for refining fuel oil from biological resources (so-called biomass) including plant resources has been proposed due to increasing demands for reducing fossil resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (patents) Reference 1). Such a fuel oil is called a biofuel, and since it does not increase the total amount of carbon dioxide emission, it is expected in the future as a substitute for a fuel oil derived from fossil resources.
Many compounds derived from fossil resources are used not only in the field of fuel oil but also in the fields of household appliances, household goods, automobiles and the like. As an example, it is used as the main raw material for acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene copolymer resin (ABS resin), or as the main raw material for synthetic rubber such as butadiene rubber, which is a conjugated diene polymer widely used as a material for automobile tires. Similarly, there is a demand for a production method that does not use fossil resources as starting materials for compounds such as butadiene.

  On the other hand, conjugated diene polymers, such as polybutadiene, are usually produced by solution polymerization in which a conjugated diene monomer is polymerized in an inert organic solvent or diluent. The organic solvent solubilizes the reactants and products, acts as a carrier for the reactants and products, helps to transfer the heat of polymerization, and functions to adjust the polymerization rate. Moreover, since the viscosity of a polymerization mixture falls by presence of an organic solvent, stirring and a movement of this polymerization mixture become easier by an organic solvent.

However, the solution polymerization method using an organic solvent or the like needs to separate the organic solvent from the obtained polymer, and thereafter, the recovered organic solvent is recycled for reuse or disposed as waste. There must be. Moreover, in the industrial process of a polymer using an organic solvent, generally, the energy required for recovery and recycling of the organic solvent occupies most of the total energy required for producing the polymer.
There is also a problem that the recycled solvent after purification poisons the polymerization catalyst. In addition, some organic solvents such as aromatic hydrocarbons cause environmental problems, and if the organic solvent is not sufficiently removed, the purity of the polymer product is affected. In consideration of such a situation, bulk polymerization (also referred to as bulk polymerization) in which an organic solvent or the like is not used as a method for producing a conjugated diene polymer such as polybudadiene or the use of as little organic solvent as possible is used. For example, Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 disclose such a method.

JP 2009-046661 A Special table 2007-514052 gazette Special table 2011-516689 gazette

  The present invention provides a method for producing a conjugated diene polymer in which a monomer including a bioconjugated diene monomer synthesized from a biological resource including a plant resource, which does not start with a fossil resource, is bulk-polymerized. Let it be an issue.

The present invention
1. A method for producing a conjugated diene polymer by bulk polymerization of a monomer (A) containing a bioconjugated diene monomer synthesized from a biological resource including a plant resource, the bioconjugated diene monomer comprising: 20 mass of said organic solvent (B) with respect to the total mass [(A) + (B) + (C)] of the monomer (A) containing, an organic solvent (B), and the produced | generated polymer (C). A method for producing a conjugated diene polymer in which the monomer (A) is bulk polymerized in the presence of less than 1%,
2. The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to 1 above, wherein the bioconjugated diene monomer is a biobutadiene monomer,
3. 3. The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to 1 or 2 above, wherein the value of δ13C of the conjugated diene polymer is −30 ‰ to −28.5 ‰, or −22 ‰ or more,
4). The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to any one of the above 1 to 3, wherein the value of Δ14C of the conjugated diene polymer is -75 to -225 ‰,
5. The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to any one of the above 1 to 4, wherein the value of δ13C of the conjugated diene polymer is in the range of −29.5 ‰ to −28.5 ‰,
6). The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to any one of 1 to 5 above, wherein the value of δ13C of the conjugated diene polymer is in the range of −30 ‰ to −29 ‰,
7). The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to any one of the above 1 to 6, wherein the number average molecular weight of the conjugated diene polymer is 40,000 to 750000,
8). The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to any one of 1 to 7 above, wherein bulk polymerization is performed in the presence of a polymerization catalyst,
9. 9. The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to 8 above, wherein the polymerization catalyst contains a rare earth element-containing compound,
10. 9. The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to the above 8, wherein the polymerization catalyst is a metallocene polymerization catalyst.
11. 9. The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to 8 above, wherein the polymerization catalyst is an anionic polymerization catalyst containing an alkali metal and / or an alkaline earth metal,
12 The monomer (A) containing the bioconjugated diene monomer is any one of the above 1 to 11 comprising a bioconjugated diene monomer and a monomer copolymerizable with the bioconjugated diene monomer. A process for producing a conjugated diene polymer of
13. Bio-ethanol is synthesized from bio-derived resources including plant resources, and the bio-butadiene monomer is brought into contact with the composite metal oxide containing at least magnesium and silicon as metal elements under heating. The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to any one of 2 to 12 above, wherein the biobutadiene monomer is produced,
I will provide a.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a conjugated diene polymer in which a monomer including a bioconjugated diene monomer synthesized from a biological resource including a plant resource, which does not start with a fossil resource, is bulk-polymerized. Conjugated diene system that can be provided and does not use petroleum or other fossil resources, and does not use organic solvents during bulk polymerization or uses as little organic solvent as possible. A polymer can be obtained.

Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the conjugated diene polymer which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated in detail.
[Method for producing conjugated diene polymer]
The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to an embodiment of the present invention is a conjugated diene system in which a monomer (A) containing a bioconjugated diene monomer synthesized from a biological resource including a plant resource is bulk polymerized. A method for producing a polymer, comprising the monomer (A) containing the bioconjugated diene monomer, the organic solvent (B), and the total mass of the produced polymer (C) [(A) + (B) + (C)] is obtained by bulk polymerization of the monomer (A) in the presence of less than 20% by mass of the organic solvent (B).

The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer of the present invention includes a monomer containing a bioconjugated diene monomer synthesized from a biological resource including a plant resource as a conjugated diene monomer used for polymerization. Is used.
<Bioconjugated diene monomer>
Examples of the bioconjugated diene monomer used in the method for producing a conjugated diene polymer of the present invention include a biobutadiene monomer, a bioisoprene monomer, a bioalcohol such as biotanol, bioethanol, and biobutanol, 1,3-pentadiene, 1,3-hexadiene, 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene, 2-ethyl-1,3-butadiene, 2-methyl-1 which can be synthesized using biomethane as a raw material Monomers such as 1,3-pentadiene, 3-methyl-1,3-pentadiene, 4-methyl-1,3-pentadiene, 2,4-hexadiene, cyclopentadiene, chloroprene are also used as bioconjugated diene monomers. As well as mixtures thereof.

As a typical bioconjugated diene monomer used in the present invention, a method for synthesizing a biobutadiene monomer and a bioisoprene monomer will be described.
(Method for synthesizing biobutadiene monomer)
A method for synthesizing a biobutadiene monomer using bioethanol synthesized from biological resources (biomass) including plant resources as a starting material will be described.
First, bioethanol is produced from biomass. The produced bioethanol is brought into contact with a composite metal oxide containing at least magnesium and silicon as metal elements under heating to produce a mixture containing a biobutadiene monomer component. A biobutadiene monomer component is extracted from this mixture, and a butadiene polymer is produced using the extracted biobutadiene monomer component.
In this synthesis method, the composite metal oxide acts as a catalyst. From the viewpoint of expressing good catalytic activity, the temperature when bioethanol is brought into contact with the composite metal oxide is preferably 350 ° C to 450 ° C.

  Examples of biological resources that can be used as raw materials for bioethanol include sugarcane, corn, sugar beet, cassava, beet, wood, and algae. Among these resources, it is preferable to use sugarcane, corn, and sugar beet that contain a large amount of sugar or starch from the viewpoint of production efficiency.

The composite metal oxide contains at least magnesium and silicon as metal elements. Among these, it is preferable to use a silica-magnesia composite oxide synthesized by a sol-gel method. Usable metal elements include zinc, zirconium, copper, aluminum, calcium, phosphorus, tantalum and the like.
Examples of the method for producing the composite metal oxide include a sol-gel method and a method in which silica is mixed with an aqueous solution of a metal salt and supported by evaporation and drying.

For the contact reaction between the composite metal oxide and bioethanol, a generally known fixed bed gas flow-type catalytic reaction apparatus (for example, JP-A-2009-51760) can be used.
The composite metal oxide is filled in the reaction tube, heated as a pretreatment in a carrier gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas, and then the temperature of the reaction tube is lowered to the reaction temperature. Thereafter, a predetermined amount of carrier gas and bioethanol are introduced. The biobutadiene monomer is separated from the gas produced by the reaction. As a separation method, the generated gas is passed through a cooled condenser to separate heavy impurities such as unreacted bioethanol and water, and then the reaction gas is bubbled into an organic solvent to remove the biobutadiene monomer. It is dissolved in a solvent and recovered as a solution. Light impurities such as ethylene and carrier gas N ₂ are passed through without being dissolved in the organic solvent and discharged from the solvent tank.

(Method for synthesizing bioisoprene monomer)
The bioisoprene monomer is obtained from biological resources including plant resources using microbial cells such as various fungi. A method for obtaining a bioisoprene monomer from biological resources including plant resources by using microorganisms such as various bacteria is known in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-526943 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-505841. It has become. In these methods, cells containing a heterologous nucleic acid encoding isoprene / synthase / polypeptide are cultured under a culture condition suitable for isoprene production, and bioisoprene monomer is produced from the culture and recovered. is there. In these techniques, microbial cells derived from natural products that produce isoprene may be used as they are, or isoprene / synthase / polypeptide in the microbial cells may be transformed into Escherichia coli by genetic manipulation from the microbial cells derived from the natural products. Can be used as isoprene-producing bacteria.
As biological resources including plant resources, plant resources including cellulose and the like and various sugars such as glucose obtained from the plant resources can be used.

<Other monomers copolymerizable with bioconjugated diene monomer>
The monomer used in the method for producing the conjugated diene polymer of the present invention needs to contain the bioconjugated diene monomer described above, but other copolymerizable monomers can be used as necessary. It may contain a mer. Monomers that can be copolymerized with the bioconjugated diene monomer include styrene, p-methylstyrene, m-methylstyrene, p-tert-butylstyrene, α-methylstyrene, chloromethylstyrene, vinyltoluene and the like. Aromatic vinyl compounds can be mentioned. Moreover, olefin compounds, such as ethylene, propylene, and isobutylene, can be mentioned. The monomer copolymerizable with these bioconjugated diene monomers may be synthesized from biological resources including plant resources or may be derived from petroleum resources.

<Organic solvent>
The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer of the present invention is produced by bulk polymerization, and the organic solvent (B) is not used or, when used, in the polymerization reactor, the bioconjugated diene. The organic solvent (B) with respect to the total mass [(A) + (B) + (C)] of the monomer (A) including the monomer, the organic solvent (B), and the produced polymer (C) ) In the presence of less than 20% by weight, more preferably in the presence of less than 10% by weight, even more preferably in the presence of less than 5% by weight, particularly preferably in the presence of less than 2% by weight. .

The organic solvent (B) is an organic solvent that does not polymerize or does not enter the structure of the polymer to be formed, and these organic solvents are generally inert to the polymerization catalyst used. . Commonly used organic solvents are hydrocarbons having a low or relatively low rise point such as aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons and alicyclic hydrocarbons. Non-limiting examples of aromatic hydrocarbons include benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, diethylbenzene and mesitylene. Non-limiting examples of aliphatic hydrocarbons include n-pentane, n-hexane, n-heptane, n-octane, n-nonane, n-decane, isopentane, isohexanes, isopentanes, isooctanes, 2, 2-dimethylbutane, petroleum ether, kerosene and petroleum spirit. In addition, non-limiting examples of alicyclic hydrocarbons include cyclopentane, cyclohexane, methylcyclopentane, and methylcyclohexane. Commercial mixtures of the above hydrocarbons can also be used. For environmental reasons, aliphatic and alicyclic hydrocarbons are highly preferred. The low boiling hydrocarbon solvent is generally separated from the polymer that has been polymerized.
Other examples of the organic solvent include high-boiling hydrocarbons having a high molecular weight such as paraffinic oil, aromatic oil, or other hydrocarbon oil generally used for oil-extended polymers. Because these hydrocarbons are non-volatile, they generally do not require separation from the polymer and remain contained in the polymer. When the content of high molecular weight hydrocarbons is less than 5% by weight with respect to the polymer, the performance characteristics of the polymer are generally not significantly affected.

<Polymerization catalyst>
The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer of the present invention is produced by bulk polymerization, and it is preferable to carry out polymerization using a polymerization catalyst when carrying out bulk polymerization, in order to promote the reaction efficiently. A preferred polymerization catalyst used in the method for producing a conjugated diene polymer of the present invention will be described. As the polymerization catalyst, it is preferable to use a catalyst containing a rare earth element-containing compound, a coordination catalyst using a metallocene catalyst, or an anionic polymerization catalyst using an organometallic compound. The preferred polymerization catalyst described above will be described in detail.

<Metalocene catalyst>
Preferred metallocene catalysts used in the method for producing a conjugated diene polymer of the present invention include metallocene complexes represented by the following general formula (I) and general formula (II), and the following general formula (III). It is preferable to use a half metallocene cation complex.

（式中、Ｍは、ランタノイド元素、スカンジウム又はイットリウムを示し、Ｃｐ^Rは、それぞれ独立して無置換もしくは置換インデニルを示し、Ｒ^a〜Ｒ^fは、それぞれ独立して炭素数１〜３のアルキル基を示し、Ｌは、中性ルイス塩基を示し、ｗは、０〜３の整数を示す）で表されるメタロセン錯体、

(In the formula, M represents a lanthanoid element, scandium or yttrium, Cp ^R independently represents unsubstituted or substituted indenyl, and R ^{a to} R ^f each independently represents an alkyl having 1 to 3 carbon atoms. A metallocene complex represented by: L represents a neutral Lewis base; w represents an integer of 0 to 3;

（式中、Ｍは、ランタノイド元素、スカンジウム又はイットリウムを示し、Ｃｐ^Rは、それぞれ独立して無置換もしくは置換インデニルを示し、Ｘ’は、水素原子、ハロゲン原子、アルコキシド基、チオラート基、アミド基、シリル基又は炭素数１〜２０の炭化水素基を示し、Ｌは、中性ルイス塩基を示し、ｗは、０〜３の整数を示す）で表されるメタロセン錯体、

(In the formula, M represents a lanthanoid element, scandium or yttrium, Cp ^R each independently represents an unsubstituted or substituted indenyl group, and X ′ represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkoxide group, a thiolate group, an amide group. , A silyl group or a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, L represents a neutral Lewis base, and w represents an integer of 0 to 3).

（式中、Ｍは、ランタノイド元素、スカンジウム又はイットリウムを示し、Ｃｐ^R'は、無置換もしくは置換シクロペンタジエニル、インデニル又はフルオレニルを示し、Ｘは、水素原子、ハロゲン原子、アルコキシド基、チオラート基、アミド基、シリル基又は炭素数１〜２０の炭化水素基を示し、Ｌは、中性ルイス塩基を示し、ｗは、０〜３の整数を示し、[Ｂ]^-は、非配位性アニオンを示す）で表されるハーフメタロセンカチオン錯体、

(In the formula, M represents a lanthanoid element, scandium or yttrium, Cp ^{R ′} represents unsubstituted or substituted cyclopentadienyl, indenyl or fluorenyl, and X represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkoxide group or a thiolate group. , An amide group, a silyl group, or a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, L represents a neutral Lewis base, w represents an integer of 0 to 3, and [B] ⁻ represents a non-coordinating group. A half metallocene cation complex represented by

In the metallocene complexes represented by the above general formulas (I) and (II), Cp ^R in the formula is unsubstituted indenyl or substituted indenyl. Cp ^R having an indenyl ring as a basic skeleton can be represented by C ₉ H _7-X R _X or C ₉ H _11-X R _X. Here, X is an integer of 0-7 or 0-11. In addition, each R is preferably independently a hydrocarbyl group or a metalloid group. The hydrocarbyl group preferably has 1 to 20 carbon atoms, more preferably 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and still more preferably 1 to 8 carbon atoms. Specific examples of the hydrocarbyl group include a methyl group, an ethyl group, a phenyl group, and a benzyl group. On the other hand, examples of metalloid group metalloids include germyl Ge, stannyl Sn, and silyl Si, and the metalloid group preferably has a hydrocarbyl group, and the hydrocarbyl group that the metalloid group has is the same as the above hydrocarbyl group. is there. Specific examples of the metalloid group include a trimethylsilyl group. Specific examples of the substituted indenyl include 2-phenylindenyl, 2-methylindenyl and the like. Note that the two Cp ^Rs in the general formulas (I) and (II) may be the same as or different from each other.

In the half metallocene cation complex represented by the general formula (III), Cp ^{R ′} in the formula is unsubstituted or substituted cyclopentadienyl, indenyl or fluorenyl, and among these, unsubstituted or substituted indenyl It is preferable that Cp ^{R ′} having a cyclopentadienyl ring as a basic skeleton is represented by C ₅ H _5-X R _X. Here, X is an integer of 0-5. Moreover, it is preferable that R is respectively independently a hydrocarbyl group; metalloid group. The hydrocarbyl group preferably has 1 to 20 carbon atoms, more preferably 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and still more preferably 1 to 8 carbon atoms. Specific examples of the hydrocarbyl group include a methyl group, an ethyl group, a phenyl group, and a benzyl group. On the other hand, examples of metalloid group metalloids include germyl Ge, stannyl Sn, and silyl Si, and the metalloid group preferably has a hydrocarbyl group, and the hydrocarbyl group that the metalloid group has is the same as the above hydrocarbyl group. is there. Specific examples of the metalloid group include a trimethylsilyl group. Specific examples of Cp ^{R ′} having a cyclopentadienyl ring as a basic skeleton include the following.

（式中、Ｒは水素原子、メチル基又はエチル基を示す。）

(In the formula, R represents a hydrogen atom, a methyl group or an ethyl group.)

In the general formula (III), Cp ^{R ′} having the above indenyl ring as a basic skeleton is defined in the same manner as Cp ^{R in the} general formula (I), and preferred examples thereof are also the same.

In the general formula (III), Cp ^{R ′} having the fluorenyl ring as a basic skeleton can be represented by C ₁₃ H _9-X R _X or C ₁₃ H _17-X R _X. Here, X is an integer of 0-9 or 0-17. Moreover, it is preferable that R is respectively independently a hydrocarbyl group; metalloid group. The hydrocarbyl group preferably has 1 to 20 carbon atoms, more preferably 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and still more preferably 1 to 8 carbon atoms. Specific examples of the hydrocarbyl group include a methyl group, an ethyl group, a phenyl group, and a benzyl group. On the other hand, examples of metalloid group metalloids include germyl Ge, stannyl Sn, and silyl Si, and the metalloid group preferably has a hydrocarbyl group, and the hydrocarbyl group that the metalloid group has is the same as the above hydrocarbyl group. is there. Specific examples of the metalloid group include a trimethylsilyl group.

  The central metal M in the general formulas (I), (II) and (III) is a lanthanoid element, scandium or yttrium. The lanthanoid elements include 15 elements having atomic numbers 57 to 71, and any of these may be used. Preferred examples of the central metal M include samarium Sm, neodymium Nd, praseodymium Pr, gadolinium Gd, cerium Ce, holmium Ho, scandium Sc, and yttrium Y.

The metallocene complex represented by the general formula (I) contains a bistrialkylsilylamide ligand [—N (SiR ₃ ) ₂ ]. The alkyl groups R (R ^{a to} R ^f in the general formula (I)) contained in the bistrialkylsilylamide are each independently an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and is preferably a methyl group.

The metallocene complex represented by the general formula (II) includes a silyl ligand [—SiX ′ ₃ ]. X ′ contained in the silyl ligand [—SiX ′ ₃ ] is a group defined in the same manner as X in the general formula (III) described below, and preferred groups are also the same.

    In the general formula (III), X is a group selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkoxide group, a thiolate group, an amide group, a silyl group, and a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms. Here, examples of the alkoxide group include aliphatic alkoxy groups such as methoxy group, ethoxy group, propoxy group, n-butoxy group, isobutoxy group, sec-butoxy group and tert-butoxy group; phenoxy group and 2,6-di- -tert-butylphenoxy group, 2,6-diisopropylphenoxy group, 2,6-dineopentylphenoxy group, 2-tert-butyl-6-isopropylphenoxy group, 2-tert-butyl-6-neopentylphenoxy group, Examples include aryloxide groups such as 2-isopropyl-6-neopentylphenoxy group, and among these, 2,6-di-tert-butylphenoxy group is preferable.

  In the general formula (III), the amide group represented by X includes aliphatic amide groups such as dimethylamide group, diethylamide group, diisopropylamide group; phenylamide group, 2,6-di-tert-butylphenylamide group, 2 2,6-diisopropylphenylamide group, 2,6-dineopentylphenylamide group, 2-tert-butyl-6-isopropylphenylamide group, 2-tert-butyl-6-neopentylphenylamide group, 2-isopropyl- Arylamide groups such as 6-neopentylphenylamide group, 2,4,6-tert-butylphenylamide group; and bistrialkylsilylamide groups such as bistrimethylsilylamide group. Among these, bistrimethylsilylamide group is preferable.

  In the general formula (III), examples of the silyl group represented by X include trimethylsilyl group, tris (trimethylsilyl) silyl group, bis (trimethylsilyl) methylsilyl group, trimethylsilyl (dimethyl) silyl group, triisopropylsilyl (bistrimethylsilyl) silyl group, and the like. Among these, a tris (trimethylsilyl) silyl group is preferable.

  In the general formula (III), the halogen atom represented by X may be a fluorine atom, a chlorine atom, a bromine atom or an iodine atom, but a chlorine atom or a bromine atom is preferred. Specific examples of the hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms represented by X include methyl group, ethyl group, n-propyl group, isopropyl group, n-butyl group, isobutyl group, sec-butyl group, tert- Linear or branched aliphatic hydrocarbon groups such as butyl group, neopentyl group, hexyl group, octyl group; aromatic hydrocarbon groups such as phenyl group, tolyl group, naphthyl group; aralkyl groups such as benzyl group, etc. Others: Examples include hydrocarbon groups containing silicon atoms such as trimethylsilylmethyl group and bistrimethylsilylmethyl group. Among these, methyl group, ethyl group, isobutyl group, trimethylsilylmethyl group and the like are preferable.

  In the general formula (III), X is preferably a bistrimethylsilylamide group or a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms.

In the general formula (III), [B] ^- The non-coordinating anion represented by, for example, a tetravalent boron anion. Specific examples of the tetravalent boron anion include tetraphenylborate, tetrakis (monofluorophenyl) borate, tetrakis (difluorophenyl) borate, tetrakis (trifluorophenyl) borate, tetrakis (tetrafluorophenyl) borate, tetrakis ( Pentafluorophenyl) borate, tetrakis (tetrafluoromethylphenyl) borate, tetra (tolyl) borate, tetra (xylyl) borate, (triphenyl, pentafluorophenyl) borate, [tris (pentafluorophenyl), phenyl] borate, tri Decahydride-7,8-dicarbaoundecaborate is exemplified, and among these, tetrakis (pentafluorophenyl) borate is preferable.

  The metallocene complex represented by the above general formulas (I) and (II) and the half metallocene cation complex represented by the above general formula (III) are further 0 to 3, preferably 0 to 1 neutral. Contains Lewis base L. Here, examples of the neutral Lewis base L include tetrahydrofuran, diethyl ether, dimethylaniline, trimethylphosphine, lithium chloride, neutral olefins, neutral diolefins, and the like. Here, when the complex includes a plurality of neutral Lewis bases L, the neutral Lewis bases L may be the same or different.

  In addition, the metallocene complex represented by the general formula (I) and the formula (II) and the half metallocene cation complex represented by the general formula (III) may be present as a monomer. It may exist as a body or higher multimer.

<Catalyst containing rare earth element-containing compound>
Next, a catalyst containing a rare earth element-containing compound can be given as a preferred catalyst together with the metallocene catalyst. Preferred catalysts containing a rare earth element-containing compound include (A) a compound containing a rare earth element having an atomic number of 57 to 71 in the periodic table, or a reaction product of these compounds with a Lewis base, and (B) an organoaluminum compound. And (C) a catalyst system containing at least one of a Lewis acid, a complex compound of a metal halide and a Lewis base, and an organic compound containing an active halogen is preferably used.
The rare earth element of atomic number 57 to 71 in the periodic table included in the component (A) is preferably neodymium, praseodymium, cerium, lanthanum, gadolinium, or a mixture thereof among the rare earth elements of atomic number 57 to 71, Neodymium is particularly preferred.

  The rare earth element-containing compound is preferably a salt soluble in a hydrocarbon solvent, and specifically includes the rare earth element carboxylates, alkoxides, β-diketone complexes, phosphates and phosphites. Of these, carboxylates and phosphates are preferable, and carboxylates are particularly preferable. Here, examples of the hydrocarbon solvent include saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons having 4 to 10 carbon atoms such as butane, pentane, hexane and heptane, saturated alicyclic hydrocarbons having 5 to 20 carbon atoms such as cyclopentane and cyclohexane, -Monoolefins such as butene, 2-butene, aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, xylene, methylene chloride, chloroform, trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, 1,2-dichloroethane, chlorobenzene, bromobenzene, chlorotoluene, etc. A halogenated hydrocarbon is mentioned.

As the rare earth element carboxylate, the following general formula (V):
(R ⁴ -CO ₂ ) ₃ M ¹ (V)
(Wherein, R ⁴ is a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and M ¹ is a rare earth element having an atomic number of 57 to 71 in the periodic table). Here, R ⁴ may be saturated or unsaturated, is preferably an alkyl group or an alkenyl group, and may be linear, branched or cyclic. The carboxyl group is bonded to a primary, secondary or tertiary carbon atom. As the carboxylate, specifically, octanoic acid, 2-ethylhexanoic acid, oleic acid, neodecanoic acid, stearic acid, benzoic acid, naphthenic acid, versatic acid [trade names of Shell Chemical Co., Ltd. , A carboxylic acid in which a carboxyl group is bonded to a tertiary carbon atom] and the like. Among these, salts of 2-ethylhexanoic acid, neodecanoic acid, naphthenic acid, and versatic acid are preferable.

As the alkoxide of the rare earth element, the following general formula (VI):
(R ⁵ O) ₃ M ¹ (VI)
(Wherein, R ⁵ is a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and M ¹ is a rare earth element having an atomic number of 57 to 71 in the periodic table). The alkoxy group represented by R ⁵ O, 2-ethyl - hexyl alkoxy group, oleyl alkoxy group, stearyl alkoxy group, phenoxy group, and benzylalkoxy group. Among these, a 2-ethyl-hexylalkoxy group and a benzylalkoxy group are preferable.

  Examples of the rare earth element β-diketone complex include the rare earth element acetylacetone complex, benzoylacetone complex, propionitrileacetone complex, valerylacetone complex, and ethylacetylacetone complex. Among these, an acetylacetone complex and an ethylacetylacetone complex are preferable.

  Examples of the rare earth element phosphate and phosphite include the rare earth element, bis (2-ethylhexyl) phosphate, bis (1-methylheptyl phosphate), bis (p-nonylphenyl) phosphate, phosphorus Acid bis (polyethylene glycol-p-nonylphenyl), phosphoric acid (1-methylheptyl) (2-ethylhexyl), phosphoric acid (2-ethylhexyl) (p-nonylphenyl), 2-ethylhexylphosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl 2-ethylhexylphosphonic acid mono-p-nonylphenyl, bis (2-ethylhexyl) phosphinic acid, bis (1-methylheptyl) phosphinic acid, bis (p-nonylphenyl) phosphinic acid, (1-methylheptyl) (2 -Ethylhexyl) phosphinic acid, (2-ethylhexyl) (p-nonylphenyl) phosphine Among these, the rare earth elements, bis (2-ethylhexyl) phosphate, bis (1-methylheptyl) phosphate, mono-2-ethylhexyl 2-ethylhexylphosphonate, bis A salt with (2-ethylhexyl) phosphinic acid is preferred.

  Among the rare earth element-containing compounds, neodymium phosphate and neodymium carboxylate are more preferable, and in particular, neodymium branching such as neodymium 2-ethylhexanoate, neodymium neodecanoate, neodymium versatate, etc. Carboxylate is most preferred.

  The component (A) may be a reaction product of the rare earth element-containing compound and a Lewis base. The reaction product has improved solubility of the rare earth element-containing compound in the solvent due to the Lewis base, and can be stably stored for a long period of time. In order to easily solubilize the rare earth element-containing compound in a solvent and to store stably for a long period of time, the Lewis base is used in a proportion of 0 to 30 mol, preferably 1 to 10 mol, per mol of rare earth element. Or as a mixture of the two or as a product obtained by reacting both in advance. Here, examples of the Lewis base include acetylacetone, tetrahydrofuran, pyridine, N, N-dimethylformamide, thiophene, diphenyl ether, triethylamine, an organic phosphorus compound, and a monovalent or divalent alcohol.

  The rare earth element-containing compound as the component (A) described above or a reaction product of these compounds and a Lewis base can be used singly or in combination of two or more.

The component (B) of the catalyst system used for the production of the conjugated diene polymer of the present invention is represented by the following general formula (VII):
AlR ¹ R ² R ³ ... (VII)
(In the formula, R ¹ and R ² are the same or different and each represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms or a hydrogen atom,
R ³ is a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, provided that R ³ may be the same as or different from R ¹ or R ² . Examples of the organoaluminum compound of the formula (VII) include trimethylaluminum, triethylaluminum, tri-n-propylaluminum, triisopropylaluminum, tri-n-butylaluminum, triisobutylaluminum, tri-t-butylaluminum, tripentylaluminum, Trihexyl aluminum, tricyclohexyl aluminum, trioctyl aluminum; diethyl aluminum hydride, di-n-propyl aluminum hydride, di-n-butyl aluminum hydride, diisobutyl aluminum hydride, dihexyl aluminum hydride, diisohexyl hydride Aluminum, dioctylaluminum hydride, diisooctylaluminum hydride; ethylaluminum dihydride, n-propylaluminum Umdihydride, isobutylaluminum dihydride, and the like can be given. Among these, triethylaluminum, triisobutylaluminum, diethylaluminum hydride, and diisobutylaluminum hydride are preferable. The organoaluminum compound as component (B) described above can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  The component (C) of the catalyst system used in the production of the conjugated diene polymer of the present invention is selected from the group consisting of Lewis acids, complex compounds of metal halides and Lewis bases, and organic compounds containing active halogens. It is at least one halogen compound.

  The Lewis acid has Lewis acidity and is soluble in hydrocarbons. Specifically, methyl aluminum dibromide, methyl aluminum dichloride, ethyl aluminum dibromide, ethyl aluminum dichloride, butyl aluminum dibromide, butyl aluminum dichloride, dimethyl aluminum bromide, dimethyl aluminum chloride, diethyl bromide Aluminum, diethylaluminum chloride, dibutylaluminum bromide, dibutylaluminum chloride, methylaluminum sesquibromide, methylaluminum sesquichloride, ethylaluminum sesquibromide, ethylaluminum sesquichloride, dibutyltin dichloride, aluminum tribromide, antimony trichloride, Examples include antimony pentachloride, phosphorus trichloride, phosphorus pentachloride, tin tetrachloride, and silicon tetrachloride. Among these, diethylaluminum chloride, sesquiethylaluminum chloride, ethylaluminum dichloride, diethylaluminum bromide, ethylaluminum sesquibromide, and ethylaluminum dibromide are preferable. Alternatively, a reaction product of an alkylaluminum and a halogen such as a reaction product of triethylaluminum and bromine can be used.

  Examples of the metal halide constituting the complex compound of the above metal halide and Lewis base include beryllium chloride, beryllium bromide, beryllium iodide, magnesium chloride, magnesium bromide, magnesium iodide, calcium chloride, calcium bromide, iodine. Calcium chloride, barium chloride, barium bromide, barium iodide, zinc chloride, zinc bromide, zinc iodide, cadmium chloride, cadmium bromide, cadmium iodide, mercury chloride, mercury bromide, mercury iodide, manganese chloride, Manganese bromide, manganese iodide, rhenium chloride, rhenium bromide, rhenium iodide, copper chloride, copper iodide, silver chloride, silver bromide, silver iodide, gold chloride, gold iodide, gold bromide, etc. Of these, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, barium chloride, manganese chloride, zinc chloride, and copper chloride are preferred. , Magnesium chloride, manganese chloride, zinc chloride, copper chloride being particularly preferred.

  Moreover, as a Lewis base which comprises the complex compound of the said metal halide and a Lewis base, a phosphorus compound, a carbonyl compound, a nitrogen compound, an ether compound, alcohol, etc. are preferable. Specifically, tributyl phosphate, tri-2-ethylhexyl phosphate, triphenyl phosphate, tricresyl phosphate, triethylphosphine, tributylphosphine, triphenylphosphine, diethylphosphinoethane, diphenylphosphinoethane, acetylacetone, benzoylacetone , Propionitrile acetone, valeryl acetone, ethyl acetylacetone, methyl acetoacetate, ethyl acetoacetate, phenyl acetoacetate, dimethyl malonate, diethyl malonate, diphenyl malonate, acetic acid, octanoic acid, 2-ethyl-hexanoic acid, olein Acid, stearic acid, benzoic acid, naphthenic acid, versatic acid, triethylamine, N, N-dimethylacetamide, tetrahydrofuran, diphenyl ether, 2-ethyl-hexyl alcohol Oleyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, phenol, benzyl alcohol, 1-decanol, lauryl alcohol, and the like. Among these, tri-2-ethylhexyl phosphate, tricresyl phosphate, acetylacetone, 2-ethylhexanoic acid, versatic acid, 2-ethylhexyl alcohol, 1-decanol and lauryl alcohol are preferred.

  The Lewis base is reacted at a ratio of 0.01 to 30 mol, preferably 0.5 to 10 mol, per 1 mol of the metal halide. When the reaction product with the Lewis base is used, the metal remaining in the polymer can be reduced. Examples of the organic compound containing the active halogen include benzyl chloride.

  In addition to the above components (A) to (C), an organoaluminum oxy compound, so-called aluminoxane, is further added as a component (D) to the catalyst system used for the production of the conjugated diene polymer of the present invention. preferable. Here, examples of the aluminoxane include methylaluminoxane, ethylaluminoxane, propylaluminoxane, butylaluminoxane, chloroaluminoxane and the like. By adding aluminoxane as the component (D), the molecular weight distribution becomes sharp and the activity as a catalyst is improved.

  The amount or composition ratio of each component of the catalyst system is appropriately selected according to its purpose or necessity. Of these, the component (A) is preferably used in an amount of 0.00001 to 1.0 mmol, more preferably 0.0001 to 0.5 mmol, relative to 100 g of butadiene. When the amount of component (A) used is less than 0.00001 mmol, the polymerization activity is low, and when it exceeds 1.0 mmol, the catalyst concentration increases and a deashing step is required. Moreover, the ratio of (A) component and (B) component is molar ratio, (A) component: (B) component is 1: 1-1: 700, Preferably it is 1: 3-1: 500. Furthermore, the ratio of the halogen in the component (A) and the component (C) is in the molar ratio of 1: 0.1 to 1:30, preferably 1: 0.2 to 1:15, more preferably 1: 2. 0 to 1: 5.0. Moreover, the ratio of the aluminum in (D) component and (A) component is 1: 1-700: 1 by molar ratio, Preferably it is 3: 1-500: 1.

  Outside the range of these catalyst amounts or component ratios, it is not preferable because it does not act as a highly active catalyst or requires a step of removing the catalyst residue. In addition to the above components (A) to (C), the polymerization reaction may be carried out in the presence of hydrogen gas for the purpose of adjusting the molecular weight of the polymer.

  The production of the catalyst is, for example, by dissolving the components (A) to (C) in a solvent and, if necessary, reacting a conjugated diene monomer. In that case, the addition order of each component is not specifically limited, Furthermore, you may add an aluminoxane as (D) component. From the viewpoint of improving the polymerization activity and shortening the polymerization initiation induction period, it is preferable that these components are mixed in advance, reacted and aged. Here, the aging temperature is 0 to 100 ° C, and preferably 20 to 80 ° C. If the temperature is less than 0 ° C., the aging is not sufficiently performed. The aging time is not particularly limited, and can be ripened by contacting in the line before adding to the polymerization reaction tank. Usually, 0.5 minutes or more is sufficient, and stable for several days.

<Anionic polymerization catalyst using organometallic compound>
As the anionic polymerization catalyst, an organic alkali metal compound and / or an organic alkaline earth metal compound is used. In particular, an organic alkali metal compound is more preferably used, and a lithium compound is more preferably used among the organic alkali metal compounds. The lithium compound is not particularly limited, but hydrocarbyl lithium and lithium amide compounds are preferably used. When the former hydrocarbyl lithium is used, it has a hydrocarbyl group at the polymerization initiation terminal and the other terminal has polymerization activity. A conjugated diene polymer as a site is obtained. When the latter lithium amide compound is used, a conjugated diene polymer having a nitrogen-containing group at the polymerization initiation terminal and the other terminal being a polymerization active site is obtained.

  As the hydrocarbyl lithium, those having a hydrocarbyl group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms are preferable, for example, ethyl lithium, n-propyl lithium, isopropyl lithium, n-butyl lithium, sec-butyl lithium, tert-octyl lithium, n-decyl. Examples include lithium, phenyllithium, 2-naphthyllithium, 2-butyl-phenyllithium, 4-phenyl-butyllithium, cyclohexyllithium, cyclobenchyllithium, and reactive organisms of diisopropenylbenzene and butyllithium. Of these, n-butyllithium is particularly preferred.

  On the other hand, examples of the lithium amide compound include lithium hexamethylene imide, lithium pyrrolidide, lithium piperide, lithium heptamethylene imide, lithium dodecamethylene imide, lithium dimethyl amide, lithium diethyl amide, lithium dibutyl amide, lithium dipropyl amide, and lithium disulfide. Heptylamide, lithium dihexylamide, lithium dioctylamide, lithium di-2-ethylhexylamide, lithium didecylamide, lithium-N-methylpiverazide, lithium ethylpropylamide, lithium ethylbutyramide, lithium ethylbenzylamide, lithium methylphenethylamide, etc. Is mentioned. Among these, in view of the interaction effect on carbon black and the ability to initiate polymerization, cyclic lithium amides such as lithium hexamethylene imide, lithium pyrrolidide, lithium piperide, lithium heptamethylene imide, and lithium dodecamethylene imide are preferable, In particular, lithium hexamethylene imide and lithium pyrrolidide are suitable.

  In general, these lithium amide compounds prepared from secondary amines and lithium compounds can be used for polymerization, but can also be prepared in-polymerization in situ. The amount of the polymerization initiator used is preferably selected in the range of 0.2 to 20 mmol per 100 g of monomer.

  When an anionic polymerization catalyst using an organometallic compound is used, a desired polymer can be obtained by polymerization in the presence of a randomizer. Randomizer is control of microstructure of conjugated diene polymer, for example, 1,2 bond of butadiene moiety in butadiene-styrene copolymer, 3,4 bond increase in isoprene polymer, or conjugated diene compound monoaromatic It is a compound having an action of controlling the composition distribution of monomer units in a vinyl compound copolymer, for example, randomizing butadiene units or styrene units in a butadiene-styrene copolymer. The randomizer is not particularly limited, and any one of known compounds generally used as a conventional randomizer can be appropriately selected and used. Specifically, dimethoxybenzene, tetrahydrofuran, dimethoxyethane, diethylene glycol dibutyl ether, diethylene glycol dimethyl ether, 2,2-bis (2-tetrahydrofuryl) -propane, triethylamine, pyridine, N-methylmorpholine, N, N, N ′, Examples thereof include ethers such as N′-tetramethylethylenediamine and 1,2-dipiperidinoethane, and tertiary amines. Further, potassium salts such as potassium-t-amylate and potassium-t-butoxide, and sodium salts such as sodium-t-amylate can also be used.

<Polymerization process>
As a process used in the method for producing a conjugated diene polymer of the present invention, bulk polymerization can be carried out using a batch process, a continuous process, or a semi-continuous process. In a semi-continuous process, it is necessary to replace the already polymerized monomer, so the monomer is added intermittently. In any case, the polymerization is preferably carried out under anaerobic conditions. The polymerization temperature may be changed. However, at high temperatures, for example, depending on the type of monomer, for example, when a biobutadiene monomer is used, the polybutadiene produced in the biobutadiene monomer does not dissolve, so most of the polymer is a single-phase homogeneous system. In order to maintain the temperature inside, it is preferable to employ a low polymerization temperature, and the molecular weight of the polymer can be strictly controlled by the single-phase homogeneous system, and a uniform polymer is produced. Accordingly, the polymerization temperature is preferably in the range of about 0 ° C to about 50 ° C, more preferably about 5 ° C to about 45 ° C, and even more preferably about 10 ° C to 40 ° C. Remove the heat of polymerization by external cooling device with a thermally controlled reaction jacket, internal cooling by vaporization and concentration of monomer by using a reflux condenser device connected to the reactor, or a combination of the two methods Can do. The pressure at which the bulk polymerization is carried out is preferably a pressure at which most of the monomer is surely in a liquid phase.

  Once the desired conversion is achieved, the polymerization can be stopped by adding a polymerization terminator that deactivates the catalyst. Generally, the terminator used is a protic compound, and examples of the protic compound include, but are not limited to, alcohols, carboxylic acids, inorganic acids, water, or mixtures thereof. Usually, an antioxidant such as 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol is added together with or before the addition of the terminator. The amount of antioxidant used is generally in the range of 0.2% to 1% by weight relative to the polymer product. The terminator and antioxidant can be added as pure substances and, if necessary, can be dissolved in a hydrocarbon solution or conjugated diene monomer prior to addition to the polymerization system.

  The polymer prepared by the low-temperature bulk polymerization method of the present invention exhibits a higher degree of pseudo-living properties in which a greater proportion of the polymer chains have active ends at the completion of polymerization compared to a polymer prepared by solution polymerization at high temperature. . Therefore, before adding a terminator and an antioxidant to the polymerization system as described above, a modified conjugated diene polymer having a desired property, for example, a modified cis-1,4-polybutadiene is produced. In addition, various coupling agents or functionalizing agents can be added to react with the reactive polymer chain ends. Typical coupling agents or functionalizing agents include, but are not limited to, metal halides, non-metal halides, alkoxysilanes, imine-containing compounds, esters, ester-carboxylate metal complexes, alkyl ester carboxys. Examples include rate metal complexes, aldehydes or ketones, amides, isocyanates, isothiocyanates, imines, and epoxides. It is important to contact the coupling or functionalizing agent with the pseudo-living polymer before contacting the terminator and antioxidant with the polymerization mixture. The amount of coupling or functionalizing agent is preferably in the range of about 0.01 to about 100 moles per mole of rare earth element compound, metallocene complex or alkali metal compound (alkaline earth metal compound) in the catalyst component. A range of 0.1 to about 50 moles is even more preferred, and a range of about 0.2 to about 25 moles is even more preferred.

  When the polymerization is stopped, the conjugated diene polymer can be recovered from the polymerization mixture by using a known method such as desolvation and drying known in the art. For example, by passing the conjugated diene polymer mixture through a proximity heating screw device (desolvent extruder), the conjugated diene polymer can be more easily recovered. It can be removed by volatilizing volatile substances at temperatures in the range of 170 ° C. and at atmospheric or reduced pressure. This treatment helps remove terminators such as unreacted monomers, low boiling solvents introduced with the catalyst, and excess introduced water needed to deactivate the catalyst. . Alternatively, the solvent removal may be performed on the polymer mixture, and then the conjugated diene polymer pieces may be dried in a hot air tunnel to recover the conjugated diene polymer. In either case, unreacted monomer is separated and reused in the process. The amount of the volatile substance in the dried conjugated diene polymer is preferably lower than 1% by weight of the conjugated diene polymer, and more preferably lower than 0.5% by weight.

  The bulk polymerization method of the present invention improves the stereoselectivity due to the low operating temperature. Therefore, when a product such as cis-1,4-polybutadiene is produced as a conjugated diene polymer, solution polymerization at a high temperature is performed. A polymer having a higher cis-1,4-bond content than that produced by, for example, cis-1,4-bond is greater than about 97%, preferably greater than about 98%, more preferably Gives a polymer in excess of about 99%.

Further, the molecular weight of the conjugated diene polymer obtained in the present invention is advantageously a polymer having a number average molecular weight of about 40,000 to about 750,000, preferably about 60,000 to about 400,000, and more preferably 80000 to about 250,000. can do. In other words, these conjugated diene polymers are characterized with a Mooney viscosity (ML _{1 + 4} ) of about 10 to about 100, optionally about 20 to about 80, and optionally about 30 to about 60. be able to. Furthermore, the molecular weight distribution of these conjugated diene polymers can be less than about 5, preferably less than about 4, more preferably less than about 3.

[Properties of conjugated diene polymers]
The conjugated diene polymer obtained by the production method of the present invention is obtained by bulk polymerization of a monomer containing a bioconjugated diene monomer synthesized from biological resources including plant resources, The value of δ13C of the conjugated diene polymer is desirably −30 to −28.5 ‰, or −22 or more. Here, the value of δ13C of the conjugated diene polymer is measured by a stable isotope ratio measuring device.

δ13C represents the ratio of stable isotopes in the substance. δ13C is the ratio of ¹³ C to ¹² C in the target substance, and ¹³ C / ¹² C is compared to the isotope ratio in the standard sample (fossil of Cretaceous belemnite). This is an index indicating how much the deviation is, and this ratio is represented by ‰ (percentage). It means that the ratio of ¹³ C in a substance is so low that the value (negative value) of (delta) ^13C leaves | separates from zero.
Light isotopes are more diffusive and more reactive than heavy isotopes. For example, in the case of carbon atoms of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere taken into plants by photosynthesis, ¹² C is better than ¹³ C. It has been found that it is easily fixed in plants.
That is, the carbon atoms taken into the plant body have a relatively large amount of ¹² C and a smaller amount of ¹³ C than carbon atoms in the atmosphere. Therefore, the stable isotope ratio (δ13C) of carbon taken into the plant body is lower than the stable isotope ratio of carbon existing in the atmosphere.
This change in isotope ratio is called isotope fractionation and is represented by Δ13C (Δ13C is distinguished from δ13C).
Δ13C = (δ13C in the atmosphere) − (δ13C in the sample)
Therefore, it is possible to specify the monomer-derived substance used in producing the conjugated diene polymer from the value of δ13C of the conjugated diene polymer.

  The value of δ13C of the conjugated diene polymer is preferably in the range of −21 ‰ to −12 ‰. The value of δ13C of the conjugated diene polymer is preferably in the range of −29.5 ‰ to −28.5 ‰. The value of δ13C of the conjugated diene polymer is preferably in the range of −30 ‰ to −29 ‰.

The conjugated diene polymer of the present invention is obtained by bulk polymerization of a monomer containing a bioconjugated diene monomer synthesized from a biological resource including plant resources. It is desirable that the Δ14C value of the conjugated diene polymer is −75 to −225 ‰.
Here, the value of Δ14C of the conjugated diene polymer is a value converted to ¹⁴ C concentration ( ¹⁴ AN) when it is assumed that the sample carbon is δ13C = −25.0 ‰. In addition, δ13C of the conjugated diene polymer is as described above, and the value of δ13C is measured by a stable isotope ratio measuring apparatus.
Δ14C can be calculated from the above-described value of δ13C as follows.
δ14C = [( ¹⁴ As− ¹⁴ AR) / ¹⁴ AR] × 1000 (1)
δ13C = [( ¹³ As− ¹³ APDB) / ¹³ APDB] × 1000 (2)
here,
¹⁴ As: ¹⁴ C concentration of sample carbon: ( ¹⁴ C / ¹² C) s or ( ¹⁴ C / ¹³ C) s
¹⁴ AR: ¹⁴ C concentration of standard modern carbon: ( ¹⁴ C / ¹² C) R or ( ¹⁴ C / ¹³ C) R
The ¹⁴ C concentration in the equation (1) is converted based on the following equation based on the measured value of δ13C.
^{14 AN = 14 As × (0.975} / (1 + δ13C / 1000)) 2 ( when using a ¹⁴ C / ¹² C as ¹⁴ As)
Or
^{14 AN = 14 As × (0.975} / (1 + δ13C / 1000)) ( when using ¹⁴ C / ¹³ C as ¹⁴ As)
From the above,
Δ14C = [( ¹⁴ AN− ¹⁴ AR) / ¹⁴ AR] × 1000 (‰) is calculated.

The value of Δ14C of the conjugated diene polymer is −75 to −225 ‰, which is a level equivalent to Δ14C of carbon in carbon dioxide currently in the atmosphere, and is an organic substance fixed in the existing growing plant body. Means that it is contained in carbon.
Since the half-life of radioactive carbon ¹⁴ C is about 5730 years, the carbon contained in the fossil resource contains almost no radioactive carbon ¹⁴ C. The Δ14C of the conjugated diene polymer derived from fossil resources is about −1000 ‰.
Therefore, the substance derived from the conjugated diene polymer can be specified by the Δ14C value of the conjugated diene polymer, the amount of decay of radioactive carbon ¹⁴ C per gram per minute, or the value of δ13C. In this case, the decay value of radioactive carbon ¹⁴ C per gram per minute is 0.1 dpm / gC or more.

  The conjugated diene polymer obtained by the production method of the present invention can be made into a rubber composition by adding a rubber component other than the conjugated diene polymer, an inorganic filler, carbon black, a crosslinking agent and the like.

<Rubber component>
The rubber component is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, the (co) polymer, natural rubber, epoxidized natural rubber, various butadiene rubbers, and various styrene-butadiene copolymers of the present invention are used. Polymer rubber, isoprene rubber, butyl rubber, bromide of copolymer of isobutylene and p-methylstyrene, halogenated butyl rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, chloroprene rubber, ethylene-propylene copolymer rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer Examples thereof include coalesced rubber, styrene-isoprene copolymer rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene, acrylic rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, polysulfide rubber, silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, and urethane rubber. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
A reinforcing filler can be blended with the rubber composition as necessary. Examples of the reinforcing filler include carbon black and inorganic filler, and at least one selected from carbon black and inorganic filler is preferable.

<Inorganic filler>
The inorganic filler is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose.For example, silica, aluminum hydroxide, clay, alumina, talc, mica, kaolin, glass balloon, glass beads, calcium carbonate, Examples thereof include magnesium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, magnesium oxide, titanium oxide, potassium titanate, and barium sulfate. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. In addition, when using an inorganic filler, you may use a silane coupling agent suitably.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as content of the said reinforcing filler, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 5 mass parts-200 mass parts are preferable with respect to 100 mass parts of rubber components.
If the content of the reinforcing filler is less than 5 parts by mass, the effect of adding the reinforcing filler may not be seen so much, and if it exceeds 200 parts by mass, the rubber filler is mixed with the reinforcing filler. There is a tendency that it does not get caught, and the performance as a rubber composition may be reduced.

<Crosslinking agent>
The crosslinking agent is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. Examples thereof include a sulfur-based crosslinking agent, an organic peroxide-based crosslinking agent, an inorganic crosslinking agent, a polyamine crosslinking agent, a resin crosslinking agent, and a sulfur compound. Of these, a sulfur-based crosslinking agent is more preferable as the rubber composition for tires.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as content of the said crosslinking agent, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 0.1 mass part-20 mass parts are preferable with respect to 100 mass parts of rubber components.
When the content of the cross-linking agent is less than 0.1 parts by mass, the cross-linking hardly proceeds, and when the content exceeds 20 parts by mass, the cross-linking tends to progress during kneading with a part of the cross-linking agent. The physical properties of the sulfide may be impaired. The crosslinking conditions are not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected according to the purpose. However, a temperature of 120 ° C. to 200 ° C. and a heating time of 1 minute to 900 minutes are preferable.

<Other ingredients>
In addition, it is also possible to use a vulcanization accelerator in combination, and examples of the vulcanization accelerator include guanidine, aldehyde-amine, aldehyde-ammonia, thiazole, sulfenamide, thiourea, thiuram, Dithiocarbamate and xanthate compounds can be used.
If necessary, reinforcing agents, softeners, fillers, vulcanization aids, colorants, flame retardants, lubricants, foaming agents, plasticizers, processing aids, antioxidants, anti-aging agents, scorch prevention agents, Known materials such as ultraviolet ray inhibitors, antistatic agents, anti-coloring agents, and other compounding agents can be used depending on the intended use.

  The conjugated diene polymer produced according to the present invention and the composition containing it can be used for many applications. For example, polybutadiene (cis-1,4-polybutadiene), styrene-butadiene copolymer, and styrene-butadiene-isoprene copolymer exhibit excellent viscoelastic properties and are not particularly limited. It is particularly useful in the manufacture of various tire components such as sidewalls, subtreads, and bead fillers. When used with the conjugated diene polymer produced according to the present invention and other rubbers to form the elastomer component of the tire stock, these other rubbers may be natural rubber, other synthetic rubbers, or mixtures thereof. As a method for producing a tire, a conventional method can be used. For example, on a tire molding drum, members usually used for manufacturing a tire such as a carcass layer, a belt layer, and a tread layer made of unvulcanized rubber are sequentially laminated, and the drum is removed to obtain a green tire. Next, the desired tire can be manufactured by heat vulcanizing the green tire according to a conventional method.

  The conjugated diene polymer produced according to the present invention is used for the production of hoses, belts, shoe soles, window seals, other seals, vibration damping rubbers, and other industrial products in addition to tires. You can also.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.
[Production example of biobutadiene polymer]
<Manufacture of catalyst>
A silica-magnesia composite oxide synthesized by a sol-gel method was used as a catalyst. The synthesis method of this catalyst is as follows. First, Mg (OH) ₂ gel was synthesized by dropping 100 mL of a 14% aqueous ammonia solution into a solution of Mg (NO ₃ ) ₂ .6H ₂ O (64 g) dissolved in 100 mL of distilled water. On the other hand, Si (OH) ₄ gel was synthesized by dropping 12.5 mL of 1.38M nitric acid and 50 mL of 14% ammonia aqueous solution into a solution of Si (OC ₂ H ₅ ) ₄ (55 mL) dissolved in 150 mL of ethanol. The obtained Mg (OH) ₂ gel was subjected to suction filtration after washing with distilled water, and the Si (OH) ₄ gel was subjected to suction filtration after washing with ethanol. These two types of gels were mixed, and the mixed gel was air-dried, then dried at 80 ° C., 500 ° C., and calcined in an N ₂ atmosphere to produce a silica-magnesia composite oxide catalyst.

<Manufacture of biobutadiene monomer>
Bioethanol obtained by fermenting sugarcane, tapioca and corn starches with yeast was used as a starting material.
A biobutadiene monomer was produced by contacting the catalyst produced by the above method with the bioethanol.
As the reaction apparatus, a generally known fixed bed gas flow type catalytic reaction apparatus (for example, JP-A-2009-51760) was used. The manufactured silica-magnesia composite oxide catalyst was filled in a quartz reaction tube, and was subjected to heat treatment at 500 ° C. for 2 hours in a carrier gas atmosphere (N ₂ ; gas flow rate 66 mL / min) as a pretreatment.
After completion of the pretreatment, the temperature of the catalyst tube was lowered to the reaction temperature, and bioethanol gas diluted with N ₂ was introduced. The reaction temperature at this time was 350 degreeC or 450 degreeC.
The mixture containing the biobutadiene monomer was recovered by performing the following separation operation on the gas generated by the reaction. First, the product gas was bubbled into hexane, so that the target biobutadiene monomer was dissolved in the solvent. The recovered biobutadiene monomer solution was purified by drying to further remove ethanol, acetaldehyde, diethyl ether, ethoxyethylene, and ethyl acetate as impurities. It was confirmed that the produced biobutadiene monomer was a 1,3-butadiene monomer.

Comparative Example 1 (Method for producing polymer A)
The polymerization reactor used a 3.78 liter stainless steel cylinder equipped with a mechanical stirrer (shaft and blades) capable of mixing the high viscosity polymer composition. A reflux condenser system for concentrating and recycling the vapor of 1,3-conjugated diene monomer generated in the reactor throughout the polymerization was connected to the top of the reactor. In addition, a cooling jacket through which cold water flows was installed in the polymerization reactor. The heat of polymerization generated by the reaction was removed by internal cooling in a reflux condenser system.

Purge the reactor thoroughly with a stream of dry nitrogen, then charge the reactor with 65 g of dry 1,3-butadiene monomer (derived from petroleum resources), heat the reactor to 65 ° C., and Dry nitrogen is removed from the 1,3-conjugated by evaporating 1,3-conjugated diene monomer vapor from the top of the reflux condenser until no liquid 1,3-butadiene monomer remains in the reactor. Replaced with vapor of diene monomer. Cooling water was applied to the reflux condenser and reaction jacket, and 1302 g of 1,3-butadiene monomer (derived from petroleum resources) was added to the reactor. After the monomer temperature was raised to 32 ° C., 1.9 mmol of 1.0 mol diisobutylaluminum hydride (DIBAH) in hexane and 11.4 mmol of 0.68 mol triisobutylaluminum (TIBA) in hexane. Was continuously charged to the reactor at a molar ratio of DIBAH to TIBA of 20:80, followed by the addition of 4.5 mmol of 0.054 mol of neodymium (III) neodecanoate (NdV ₃ ). The mixture in the reactor was aged for 5 minutes, and then 4.9 mmol of a hexane solution of 0.10 mol of ethylaluminum dichloride was charged into the reactor to initiate polymerization. 15 minutes after the start, the batch was dropped into 11.3 liters of isopropanol containing 5 g of 2,6-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol to stop the polymerization. The coagulated polymer was drum dried. The yield of polymer A was 131.5 g (conversion 10.1%). The Mooney viscosity (ML _{1 + 4} ) of the polymer was measured using a Monsanto Mooney viscometer with a large rotor, a heating time of 1 minute, a running time of 4 minutes, and was 30.6 at 100 ° C. As measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), polymer A had a number average molecular weight (Mn) of 121,000, a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 362,000, and a molecular weight distribution (Mw / Mn) of 3.0. It was. The infrared spectroscopic analysis of the polymer showed that the cis-1,4-bond content was 98.7%, the trans-1,4-bond content was 1.0%, and the 1,2-linkage content was 0.3%. It was confirmed that it was a certain polybutadiene.

Example 1 (Method for producing polymer B)
In Comparative Example 1, a polymer B was obtained in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1 except that the biobutadiene monomer produced above was used as the 1,3-butadiene monomer derived from petroleum resources. When this polymer B was measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), the polymer had a number average molecular weight (Mn) of 124,000, a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 384,000, and a molecular weight distribution (Mw / Mn) of 3 .1. The infrared spectroscopic analysis of the polymer showed that the cis-1,4-bond content was 98.4%, the trans-1,4-bond content was 1.1%, and the 1,2-linkage content was 0.5%. Some polybutadiene.

[Evaluation method]
<Physical properties of polybutadiene polymer>
<< Microstructure [cis-1,4 bond content (%), 1,2-vinyl bond content (%)] >>
A Fourier transform infrared branch photometer (FT / IR-4100, manufactured by JASCO Corporation) was used, and measurement was performed by an infrared method (Morero method).
≪Ratio of weight average molecular weight (Mw) and number average molecular weight (Mn) of polybutadiene polymer (Mw / Mn) ≫
Using gel permeation chromatography (trade name “HLC-8120GPC”, manufactured by Tosoh Corporation), a differential refractometer was used as a detector, and measurement was performed under the following conditions to calculate a standard polystyrene equivalent value.
Column: Trade name “GMH-XL” (manufactured by Tosoh Corporation) 2 Column temperature: 40 ° C.
Mobile phase: Tetrahydrofuran Flow rate: 1.0 ml / min
Sample concentration: 10 mg / 20 ml

<Measurement of δ13C>
The value of δ13C of a polybutadiene polymer produced from ethanol derived from corn, sugarcane, and tapioca was measured with a stable isotope ratio measuring device.

<Measurement of Δ14C>
As a starting material, the value of δ13C of a polybutadiene polymer produced from bioethanol obtained by fermenting sugarcane, tapioca, corn starch in yeast is measured with a stable isotope ratio measuring device, and according to the conversion method described above, Δ14C was calculated.

<Measurement of ¹⁴ C decay per gram per minute>
¹⁴ C decay per gram amount value of polybutadiene polymer produced from ethanol derived from corn, sugarcane and tapioca was measured using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), liquid scintillation counting method (Liquid Scintillation Counting Method; It was measured by.

<Evaluation of crack growth resistance and low heat build-up of rubber composition>
Cracking resistance of a rubber composition comprising a polybutadiene polymer obtained by polymerizing a biobutadiene monomer produced from bioethanol obtained by fermenting sugarcane, tapioca, and corn starches with yeast as a starting material, and The low heat generation characteristic was measured by the following method.
The rubber composition of the present invention includes a rubber component containing the butadiene polymer, carbon black, vulcanizing agent, vulcanization accelerator, anti-aging agent, anti-scorching agent, softening agent, zinc oxide, stearic acid. A compounding agent usually used in the rubber industry such as a silane coupling agent can be appropriately selected and blended. In addition, the said rubber composition can be manufactured by mix | blending the various compounding agent suitably selected as needed with the rubber component, kneading | mixing, heating, extrusion, etc.

≪Crack growth resistance≫
A 0.5 mm crack was made in the center part of the JIS No. 3 test piece, fatigue was repeatedly given at a strain of 50 to 100% at room temperature, and the number of times until the sample was cut was measured. The value at each strain was determined and the average value was used. In Table 2, it represented with the parameter | index which sets the comparative example 1 which mix | blended the polymer A to 100. The larger the index value, the better the crack growth resistance.

≪Low heat generation (3% tan δ) ≫
A dynamic spectrometer (manufactured by Rheometrics, USA) was used, and measurement was performed under the conditions of tensile dynamic strain of 3%, frequency of 15 Hz, and 50 ° C. In Table 2, it represented with the parameter | index which sets the comparative example 1 which mix | blended the polymer A to 100. It shows that it is excellent in low exothermic property (low loss property), so that an index value is small.

≪Abrasion resistance≫
The amount of wear was measured at room temperature using a Lambourn-type wear tester, the reciprocal of the amount of wear was calculated, and each index was displayed as a comparative example. The larger the index value, the smaller the amount of wear and the better the wear resistance.

[Example 2, Comparative Example 2]
Using each of the polymers A and B, a rubber composition was prepared according to the formulation shown in Table 1, and vulcanized at 145 ° C. for 33 minutes to obtain a vulcanized rubber.
The physical properties of polymers A and B and the value of δ13C were measured by the above methods. Further, the crack growth resistance, low heat build-up (3% tan δ) and wear resistance of the obtained vulcanized rubber were measured according to the evaluation method described above. The results are shown in Table 2.

※ 1: nitrogen adsorption specific surface area of the carbon black used; 42m ² / g
* 2: N- (1,3-dimethylbutyl) -N′-p-phenylenediamine, manufactured by Ouchi Shinsei Chemical Co., Ltd., NOCRACK 6C
* 3: 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline polymer, manufactured by Ouchi Shinsei Chemical Co., Ltd., NOCRACK 224
* 4: N-cyclohexyl-2-benzothiazolylsulfenamide, manufactured by Ouchi Shinsei Chemical Co., Ltd., Noxeller CZ-G
* 5: Dibenzothiazyl disulfide, manufactured by Ouchi Shinsei Chemical Co., Ltd., Noxeller DM-P

The obtained polymer A had a δ13C value of −23.00, and the polymer B had a δ13C value of −14.69.
Further, the value of Δ14C of the obtained polymer A was −1000 ‰, and the value of Δ14C of the polymer B was −100 ‰.
Further, the ¹⁴ A decay value per gram per minute amount of the polymer A obtained was 0.05 dpm / gC, and the ¹⁴ C decay per gram amount value of the polymer B was 0.2 dpm / g C. It was.
Moreover, the comparative example 2 using the polymer A made from petroleum resources having the same numerical values for the molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, cis 1,4-bond, trans 1,4-bond, etc. It was found that Example 2 using polymer B made of a butadiene monomer as a raw material was comparable to conventional products in crack growth resistance, low heat build-up property, and wear resistance.

Claims (13)

  A method for producing a conjugated diene polymer by bulk polymerization of a monomer (A) containing a bioconjugated diene monomer synthesized from a biological resource including a plant resource, the bioconjugated diene monomer comprising: 20 mass of said organic solvent (B) with respect to the total mass [(A) + (B) + (C)] of the monomer (A) containing, an organic solvent (B), and the produced | generated polymer (C). The manufacturing method of the conjugated diene type polymer which bulk-polymerizes this monomer (A) in presence of less than%.   The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to claim 1, wherein the bioconjugated diene monomer is a biobutadiene monomer.   The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the value of δ13C of the conjugated diene polymer is -30 ‰ to -28.5 ‰, or -22 ‰ or more. The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the value of Δ14C of the conjugated diene polymer is -75 to -225 ‰.   The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a value of δ13C of the conjugated diene polymer is in a range of -29.5 ‰ to -28.5 ‰.   The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a value of δ13C of the conjugated diene polymer is in the range of -30 ‰ to -29 ‰.   The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the conjugated diene polymer has a number average molecular weight of 40,000 to 750000.   The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein bulk polymerization is performed in the presence of a polymerization catalyst.   The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to claim 8, wherein the polymerization catalyst contains a rare earth element-containing compound.   The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to claim 8, wherein the polymerization catalyst is a metallocene polymerization catalyst.   The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to claim 8, wherein the polymerization catalyst is an anionic polymerization catalyst containing an alkali metal and / or an alkaline earth metal.   The monomer (A) containing the bioconjugated diene monomer comprises a bioconjugated diene monomer and a monomer copolymerizable with the conjugated diene monomer. A process for producing a conjugated diene polymer.   Bio-ethanol is synthesized from bio-derived resources including plant resources, and the bio-butadiene monomer is brought into contact with the composite metal oxide containing at least magnesium and silicon as metal elements under heating. The method for producing a conjugated diene polymer according to any one of claims 2 to 12, wherein the biobutadiene monomer is produced and used.