JP3984628B2 - Process for producing ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin composition - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (hereinafter abbreviated as “EVOH”) resin composition.

  EVOH is excellent in gas barrier properties, oil resistance, aroma retention, transparency and the like. Using this characteristic, EVOH is formed into a film, a sheet, a bottle or the like and used for food packaging applications.

  Conventionally, various resins are blended to improve EVOH flexibility, impact resistance, moldability, and the like. For example, in Patent Document 1, a starch polymer is added to EVOH. In this publication, water-containing EVOH pellets having a water content of 20 to 60% by weight and raw starch (corn starch having a water content of 12% by weight) are put into a Henschel mixer and mixed, and then supplied to a twin screw extruder with a vent. A method is described in which the mixture is kneaded at 120 ° C., melt extruded into a strand, and then pelletized. However, when the mixture is mixed with a Henschel mixer and melt-extruded with a twin screw extruder, the starch-based polymer is not sufficiently uniformly dispersed in EVOH, and starch agglomerates are observed in the molded product, resulting in a good molded product. I can't.

In Patent Document 2, as a method for producing a resin composition comprising starch and EVOH, a mixture obtained by mixing starch and glycerin is fed to a twin screw extruder and melted at 170 ° C., and then at 210 ° C. by a single screw extruder. A method is described in which heated and melted EVOH is supplied from the side supply port of the twin-screw extruder and both are melt-kneaded in the twin-screw extruder. However, the temperature in each extruder is as high as 170 ° C. and 210 ° C., and EVOH is thermally deteriorated in the extruder, so that the resin composition is easily colored. In addition, if the temperature is high, foaming due to decomposition gas is likely to occur, so that it is difficult to obtain pellets with good appearance.
JP-A-5-9334 JP-A-5-39392

  Then, this invention aims at improving the compounding method of various resin to EVOH, and obtaining the further favorable dispersibility of resin, suppressing the thermal deterioration of EVOH.

  In order to achieve the above object, the EVOH resin composition production method of the present invention introduces EVOH having a water content of 0.5% by weight or more into an extruder, and converts the water content into molten EVOH in the extruder. On the other hand, when the resin aqueous dispersion is blended and melt-kneaded, the resin aqueous dispersion comprises a polyvinyl acetate emulsion, a polyacrylate emulsion, a polyurethane emulsion, an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer emulsion, and It contains at least one selected from latex.

  According to the present invention, EVOH can be melted at a low temperature because it melts in a water-containing state. For this reason, the thermal deterioration of EVOH can be suppressed. Moreover, the thermal deterioration and decomposition | disassembly of resin to mix | blend can be suppressed. Furthermore, when the resin is blended with EVOH melted in a water-containing state as an aqueous solution or an aqueous dispersion, the resin can be dispersed more uniformly than when blended as a powder. In particular, a resin having water solubility such as polyvinyl alcohol (hereinafter abbreviated as “PVA”) is dissolved in water and added as an aqueous solution, whereby dispersibility and moldability are improved, and a molded article having a good appearance is obtained. can get. There is also an advantage that continuous control of the blending amount becomes easier than when blending as a powder.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the EVOH resin composition which made more uniform the resin added, suppressing the thermal deterioration of EVOH can be obtained. Moreover, the characteristics of the EVOH resin composition can be further improved by using various additives in combination.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described.

  The concentration of the resin in the resin aqueous solution or resin aqueous dispersion (solid content concentration in the aqueous dispersion) is preferably 0.5 to 70% by weight. If the concentration of the resin is too low, the compounding efficiency is lowered. On the other hand, if the resin concentration is too high, the fluidity of the liquid is lowered and sufficient dispersibility may not be obtained. From this viewpoint, the concentration is more preferably 1.0 to 65% by weight, and particularly preferably 5.0 to 60% by weight.

  0.1-200 weight part is suitable for the compounding quantity of resin with respect to EVOH100 weight part. If the blending amount is less than 0.1 parts by weight, various effects by blending cannot be sufficiently obtained. Conversely, if the blending amount is more than 200 parts by weight, EVOH gas barrier properties may not be sufficiently obtained. From this viewpoint, the blending amount is more preferably 1.0 to 150 parts by weight, particularly 5.0 to 100 parts by weight.

  The resin blended as the resin aqueous solution is not particularly limited as long as it is soluble in water. For example, PVA, EVOH, starch and derivatives thereof, cellulose derivatives, polyacrylic acid and salts thereof, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyoxyethylene glycol, and The at least 1 sort (s) chosen from polyoxypropylene glycol is mentioned. By blending EVOH with a water-soluble polymer compound such as PVA and starch, EVOH can be easily disintegrated in water and biodegradable by microorganisms.

  PVA is a saponified product of polyvinyl acetate, preferably having a saponification degree of 80 mol% or more. In PVA, the melting point and the thermal decomposition temperature are close to each other. For this reason, when PVA is melt-kneaded with EVOH at a melting point (230 ° C.) or higher, PVA tends to thermally decompose and foam. Further, just by blending EVOH and PVA in a dry state in an extruder, PVA tends to aggregate and the appearance becomes poor. In this case, since the interface between the agglomerated PVA and EVOH becomes brittle, fine powder is likely to be generated during transfer and pellet drying. However, when water-containing and molten EVOH and a PVA aqueous solution are melt-kneaded at a low temperature of, for example, 170 ° C. or lower, dispersibility can be improved while suppressing thermal decomposition or gelation of PVA, and thus a good molded body can be obtained. Can do.

  Starch shows a tendency to decompose due to thermal degradation near 200 ° C. For this reason, foaming occurs due to thermal decomposition at the normal EVOH melt molding temperature. However, when water-containing and molten EVOH and an aqueous starch solution are melt-kneaded at a low temperature of, for example, 170 ° C. or less, the dispersibility can be improved while suppressing the thermal decomposition of starch, and thus a good molded product can be obtained.

  EVOH is also water-soluble if the ethylene content is 20 mol% or less and the saponification degree is 80 mol% or more. This water-soluble EVOH is also susceptible to thermal degradation when melt-kneaded at 200 ° C. or higher. Moreover, since dispersibility also becomes poor, the transparency of the molded product is lowered. However, in the same manner as described above, a good molded product can be obtained while suppressing thermal decomposition or gelation of water-soluble EVOH by melt-kneading with water-containing and molten EVOH.

  Similarly, polyoxyethylene glycol and polyoxypropylene glycol, which are water-soluble polymer compounds, can be used as EVOH plasticizers.

  The resin to be blended as the resin water dispersion is not particularly limited as long as it can be dispersed in water. The aqueous dispersion may be in a suspended state (suspension) or in an emulsion (emulsion). In addition to the resin, a dispersion stabilizer or the like may be added. From the viewpoint of dispersion stability, it is preferable to blend an emulsion. This is because when the dispersion state is stable, blockage of the inlet to the extruder can be prevented, and quantitative blending becomes easy. Examples of the resin emulsion include at least one selected from a polyvinyl acetate emulsion, a polyacrylate emulsion, a polyurethane emulsion, an EVOH emulsion, and a latex.

  The polyvinyl acetate emulsion is an emulsion containing at least one selected from a homopolymer of vinyl acetate and a copolymer containing vinyl acetate as a main component. Examples of the copolymer include copolymers with acrylic acid ester, maleic acid, fumaric acid ester, fatty acid vinyl ester, ethylene and the like. The copolymer with ethylene preferably has an ethylene content of 10 to 30% by weight, and may be a ternary copolymer containing styrene, acrylic acid or the like as the third monomer.

  The polyacrylate emulsion is an emulsion containing at least one selected from a homopolymer of an acrylate ester, a methacrylic ester, and a copolymer containing these esters as a main component. Examples of the copolymer include copolymers with vinyl acetate, styrene, acrylonitrile, acrylamide, acrylic acid, and the like.

  A polyurethane-based emulsion is an emulsion of a series of high molecular weight polyurethane resins having urethane bonds in the polymer.

  An EVOH emulsion is an emulsion mainly composed of EVOH.

  Latex is an emulsion in which rubber particles are dispersed in water. Natural latex, IR (cis-1,4-polyisoprene) latex, SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber) latex, NBR (acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber) latex, CR (Chloroprene rubber) latex, VP latex (SBR latex copolymerized with vinylpyridine monomer), MBR (methyl acrylate-butadiene copolymer) latex, SB (styrene-butadiene copolymer) latex and the like.

  You may mix | blend a plasticizer with resin aqueous solution or resin dispersion liquid. The plasticizer is a relatively hardly volatile compound, and improves the workability or physical properties when added to a polymer material. Polyoxyethylene glycol, polyoxypropylene glycol, and the like are also a kind of plasticizer, but other plasticizers include phosphate esters, phthalates, aliphatic monobasic esters, aliphatic dibasic esters. , Glycols, glycerins and the like.

  As described above, the resin is blended as an aqueous solution or an aqueous dispersion, but for blending the resin, a plurality of liquids may be added sequentially or simultaneously, or a liquid containing a plurality of types of resins may be added. You may use the liquid which contains multiple types of resin in the state disperse | distributed or melt | dissolved according to the water solubility. You may add the water which contains the same kind of resin as a solute and a dispersoid.

  Hereinafter, EVOH melting and kneading in the extruder will be described more specifically with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, in order to facilitate description of one embodiment of the present invention, a cylinder of a twin-screw extruder and a screw disposed therein are shown side by side. First, water-containing EVOH is supplied from the raw material supply unit 1 of the twin-screw extruder. EVOH heated in a water-containing state to be in a molten or semi-molten state is sent forward (rightward in the drawing) by the full flight screw portion 7a, and excessive water is squeezed in the liquid removal portion 2. Next, EVOH is mixed in the reverse flight screw portion 8a and then sent to the full flight screw portion 7b, where water vapor is released from the vent port 3 to further adjust the moisture content of the resin.

  Subsequently, EVOH is sent to the reverse flight screw portion 8b and selected from the additives (for example, carboxylic acid, boron compound, phosphate compound, alkali metal salt and alkaline earth metal salt) supplied from the trace component addition portion 4 And at least one kind). Although the liquid has been drained, the EVOH kneaded with the additive is still in a water-containing state.

  Further, the EVOH in a water-containing and molten state is sent to the reverse flight screw portion 8c through the full flight screw portion 7c, and melt kneaded with the resin supplied from the resin addition portion 5 as an aqueous solution or aqueous dispersion. The temperature of EVOH is further controlled based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 6 arranged in the final full flight screw portion 7d at the subsequent stage.

  An aqueous resin solution or an aqueous dispersion (hereinafter simply referred to as “resin additive solution”) is preferably added to EVOH after washing in an extruder as necessary. If the resin additive solution is added after other additives such as carboxylic acid, the amount of the additive can be easily controlled. When the resin contained in the resin additive liquid forms a complex with the additive, if the resin additive liquid is added first, it may be difficult to control the amount of the additive.

  As EVOH, what was obtained by saponifying an ethylene-vinyl ester copolymer may be used. The ethylene content is usually preferably 3 to 70 mol%, but from the viewpoint of obtaining a molded article having excellent gas barrier properties and melt moldability, the ethylene content is 10 to 60 mol%, and more preferably 20 to 55. Mole%, particularly 25 to 55 mol% is preferred. The saponification degree of the vinyl ester component in EVOH is usually preferably 80 to 100 mol%, but from the viewpoint of obtaining a molded article excellent in gas barrier properties, it is preferably 95 mol% or more, particularly preferably 99 mol% or more.

  On the other hand, EVOH having an ethylene content of 3 to 20 mol% is suitably used as EVOH imparted with water solubility. This aqueous solution containing EVOH is excellent in barrier properties and film formability and can be used as a coating material. Further, EVOH having a saponification degree of 80 to 95 mol% is suitably used for improving melt moldability. This EVOH may be used alone, but can also be used by blending with EVOH having a saponification degree exceeding 99 mol%.

  EVOH having an ethylene content of 3 to 20 mol% and EVOH having a saponification degree of 80 to 95 mol% can be obtained by simply extruding a methanol solution of EVOH into a coagulation bath in a strand form, and forming stable shaped pellets. It is difficult to obtain. However, if the present invention is applied, pellets can be stably produced for the EVOH, and the resin added to the EVOH can be made uniform.

  If the ethylene content of EVOH is less than 3 mol%, the melt moldability is poor, and the water resistance, hot water resistance, and gas barrier properties under high humidity may be reduced. On the other hand, when it exceeds 70 mol%, barrier properties and printability may be insufficient. On the other hand, when the degree of saponification is less than 80 mol%, sufficient barrier properties, coloring resistance and moisture resistance cannot be obtained.

  The moisture content of EVOH to be charged into the extruder may be 0.5% by weight or more, but is preferably 5% by weight or more, and more preferably 7% by weight or more. This is because EVOH can be melted at a temperature lower than the melting point of EVOH in a dry state. In this way, thermal degradation of EVOH in the extruder can be suppressed.

  On the other hand, the moisture content of EVOH charged into the extruder is preferably 70% by weight or less, more preferably 60% by weight or less, and particularly preferably 50% by weight or less. When the water content exceeds 70% by weight, in the EVOH composition, the resin and water contained in the resin are liable to cause phase separation. When water undergoes phase separation, the resin surface becomes wet and friction increases, so that bridging is likely to occur in the extruder hopper, which may adversely affect pellet productivity.

  The method for adjusting the moisture content of EVOH before being charged into the extruder is not particularly limited. In order to increase the moisture content, a method of spraying water on the resin, a method of immersing the resin in water, a method of contacting the resin with water vapor, or the like may be employed. On the other hand, in order to reduce the moisture content, various drying methods may be used. For example, a drying method using a fluid hot air dryer or a stationary hot air dryer may be employed. However, it is preferable to use a fluid hot air dryer from the viewpoint of reducing dry spots. In order to suppress thermal degradation, the drying temperature is preferably 120 ° C. or lower.

  The shape of EVOH thrown into the extruder is not particularly limited. Pellets obtained by cutting the strands precipitated in the coagulation bath are suitable, but crumb-like precipitates obtained by solidifying EVOH paste into an irregular shape may also be used. The EVOH paste may be directly fed into the extruder.

  The saponification catalyst residue can also be removed from EVOH by washing in the extruder. Specifically, the cleaning liquid may be injected from at least one location of the extruder, the EVOH may be cleaned, and the cleaning solution may be discharged from at least one location downstream of the injection section. Conventionally, saponification catalyst residues have been extracted by relying on diffusion from the inside of the pellets by placing the resin pellets in a solid state in contact with a cleaning solution. However, if cleaning is performed simultaneously in the extruder, cleaning can be performed efficiently and in a space-saving manner.

  The saponification catalyst residue contained in EVOH supplied to the extruder is typically an alkali metal ion. When the content of the alkali metal ions is in the range of 0.1 to 5% by weight in terms of metal, a great effect can be obtained by applying the cleaning method in the extruder. If the content is less than 0.1% by weight, there is no great difference from the case of applying the conventional cleaning method. Conversely, if the content exceeds 5% by weight, the screw length (L) / screw diameter is sufficient to perform sufficient cleaning. An extruder having a large (D) is required, resulting in an increase in cost. The content is preferably 0.2% by weight or more, particularly 0.5% by weight or more, more preferably 4% by weight or less, and particularly preferably 3% by weight or less.

  The alkali metal ions contained in the washed EVOH are preferably 0.05% by weight or less, more preferably 0.04% by weight or less, and particularly preferably 0.03% by weight or less in terms of metal. If alkali ion metal ions remain in excess of 0.05% by weight, the thermal stability of EVOH may decrease.

  The cleaning solution used in this case is not particularly limited as long as it can remove the saponification catalyst residue. For example, water can be used, but an aqueous solution of an acid having a pKa at 25 ° C. of 3.5 or more is preferable. is there. When an aqueous acid solution having a pKa of less than 3.5 is used, EVOH coloring resistance and interlayer adhesion may not be sufficiently obtained. As the acid having a pKa of 3.5 or more, a carboxylic acid, particularly acetic acid or propionic acid is preferable. The carboxylic acid concentration in the carboxylic acid aqueous solution is preferably 0.01 to 10 g / liter, particularly preferably 0.1 to 2 g / liter. In addition, the injection amount of the cleaning liquid is preferably about 0.1 to 100 liters per 1 kg of EVOH.

  The method for injecting the cleaning liquid is not particularly limited as long as it can be injected into the extruder. For example, it may be press-fitted using a plunger pump or the like. The method for discharging the cleaning liquid is not particularly limited as long as the liquid can be discharged from the extruder on the downstream side of the injection section. For example, a dehydration slit or a dewatering hole may be used. In addition, you may arrange | position a some injection | pouring part and a some discharge part.

  In the present invention, as described above, the EVOH in a water-containing state may be dehydrated or degassed after the EVOH is washed or not. Specifically, water (liquid or gas (water vapor)) may be discharged from at least one location of the extruder. The discharge of water is not particularly limited, and may be performed using, for example, a dewatering slit, a dewatering hole, or a vent port arranged in the cylinder of the extruder.

  However, it is preferable to use a dewatering slit or a dewatering hole for discharging water. This is because it can be discharged in either liquid or gas, and moisture can be efficiently removed from a resin having a high water content. In contrast, vent holes (a vacuum vent that removes water vapor under reduced pressure and an open vent that removes water vapor under normal pressure) can generally discharge only water vapor. In addition, it is necessary to consider the possibility that the resin adhering to the vent port deteriorates and enters the extruder. In addition, since molten resin may protrude from a dehydration hole, a dehydration slit is more suitable from this viewpoint. Examples of the dewatering slit include a wedge wire dewatering slit and a screen mesh dewatering slit.

  The dehydration means exemplified above may be used alone, but a plurality of the same types may be used, or different types may be used in combination. For example, the water can be rationally dehydrated by removing water to some extent from a resin having a high water content using a dehydration slit and further removing water from the vent port on the downstream side.

  Thus, after performing each process of washing, dehydration and / or deaeration as necessary, an additive selected from carboxylic acid, boron compound, phosphoric acid compound, alkali metal salt and alkaline earth metal salt in the extruder As a matter of course, it is possible to improve various performances of EVOH by adding plural kinds selected according to the embodiment.

  Addition of carboxylic acid to EVOH can improve thermal stability. Examples of the carboxylic acid include oxalic acid, succinic acid, benzoic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, lactic acid and the like, but acetic acid, propionic acid or lactic acid are preferable in consideration of cost.

  The content of carboxylic acid is preferably 10 to 5000 ppm in the dried EVOH resin composition pellets. If the carboxylic acid content is less than 10 ppm, the coloration resistance at the time of melt molding may not be sufficiently obtained. Conversely, if it exceeds 5000 ppm, the interlayer adhesion may be insufficient. The lower limit of the carboxylic acid content is preferably 30 ppm or more, and more preferably 50 ppm or more. On the other hand, the upper limit of the carboxylic acid content is preferably 1000 ppm or less, and more preferably 500 ppm or less.

  When a phosphoric acid compound is added to EVOH, the thermal stability can be improved. The content of the phosphate compound in the dry EVOH resin composition pellets is preferably 1 to 1000 ppm in terms of phosphate radical. By adding the phosphoric acid compound in an appropriate range, it becomes possible to suppress coloring of the molded body and generation of gels and blisters. The above-described improvement effect due to the addition of the phosphoric acid compound becomes particularly remarkable during long run molding using EVOH resin composition pellets and when the molded product is recovered. Examples of phosphoric acid compounds include, but are not limited to, various acids such as phosphoric acid and phosphorous acid and salts thereof. The phosphate may be contained in any form of primary phosphate, secondary phosphate, and tertiary phosphate, and its cationic species is not particularly limited, but alkali metal salts, alkaline earths A metal salt is preferred. Among these, it is preferable to add a phosphoric acid compound as sodium dihydrogen phosphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, or dipotassium hydrogen phosphate.

  The content of the phosphoric acid compound in the dry EVOH resin composition pellets, expressed in terms of phosphate radicals, is preferably 10 ppm or more, more preferably 30 ppm or more, and even more preferably 500 ppm or less, particularly preferably 300 ppm or less. When the phosphoric acid compound in such a range is contained, pellets with less coloring and less gelation can be obtained. In addition, when content of a phosphoric acid compound is less than 1 ppm, the coloring inhibitory effect at the time of melt molding may not fully be acquired. In particular, since the tendency becomes prominent when the heat histories are accumulated, a molded body obtained by molding pellets may have poor recoverability. On the other hand, when the content of the phosphoric acid compound exceeds 1000 ppm, gels and blisters of the molded body are likely to occur.

  When a boron compound is added to EVOH, the thermal stability and mechanical properties of EVOH can be improved. This is considered to be because a chelate compound is generated between EVOH and the boron compound. Examples of boron compounds include, but are not limited to, boric acids, boric acid esters, borates, borohydrides, and the like. Examples of the boric acid include orthoboric acid, metaboric acid, and tetraboric acid. Examples of the boric acid ester include triethyl borate and trimethyl borate. Examples of the boric acid salt include alkali metal salts of the above various boric acids. , Alkaline earth metal salts, borax and the like. Among these compounds, orthoboric acid (hereinafter simply referred to as “boric acid”) is preferable.

  The content of the boron compound in the dry EVOH resin composition pellets is preferably 10 to 2000 ppm, more preferably 50 to 1000 ppm in terms of boron. If the amount is less than 10 ppm, the effect of improving the thermal stability due to the addition of the boron compound may not be sufficiently obtained. If the amount exceeds 2000 ppm, gelation tends to occur and the moldability may be deteriorated.

  When an alkali metal salt is added to EVOH, interlayer adhesion and compatibility can be effectively improved. The content of the alkali metal salt in the dry EVOH resin composition pellet is preferably 5 to 5000 ppm, more preferably 20 to 1000 ppm, and particularly preferably 30 to 750 ppm in terms of alkali metal elements. Examples of the alkali metal include lithium, sodium, and potassium. Examples of the alkali metal salt include aliphatic carboxylate, aromatic carboxylate, phosphate, and metal complex. Examples include sodium acetate, potassium acetate, sodium propionate, potassium propionate, sodium phosphate, lithium phosphate, sodium stearate, potassium stearate, sodium salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and the like. Of these, sodium acetate, potassium acetate, sodium propionate, potassium propionate, and sodium phosphate are preferred.

  When alkaline earth metal salt is added to EVOH, the effect of improving coloring resistance is slightly reduced, but it is possible to reduce the amount of thermally deteriorated resin adhering to the die of the molding machine at the time of melt molding of pellets. Become. The alkaline earth metal salt is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include magnesium salt, calcium salt, barium salt, beryllium salt, and the like, and magnesium salt and calcium salt are preferable. The anion species of the alkaline earth metal salt is not particularly limited, but an acetate anion, a propionate anion, and a phosphate anion are preferable.

  The content of the alkaline earth metal salt in the dry EVOH resin composition pellets is preferably 10 to 1000 ppm, and more preferably 20 to 500 ppm in terms of the metal. When the content of alkaline earth metal is less than 10 ppm, the effect of improving the long run property may be insufficient, and when it exceeds 1000 ppm, coloring during resin melting may not be sufficiently suppressed.

  When the above additives such as carboxylic acid are blended in the extruder, these additives can be uniformly kneaded. Thus, an EVOH resin composition pellet having excellent extrusion stability, coloration resistance, and long run property, and having less gel and blistering and less die adhesion by a method with a small motor torque of the extruder at the time of melt molding and a small torque fluctuation thereof. Obtainable. In addition, when the additive is supplied to a position where EVOH is in a water-containing and molten state, the above-described effect can be sufficiently obtained. Moreover, if it supplies to the kneading part of an extruder, an additive will become easy to mix | blend more uniformly.

  The addition method of the said additive, such as carboxylic acid, is not specifically limited. Examples include a method of adding as a dry powder in an extruder, a method of adding in a paste impregnated with a solvent, a method of adding in a suspended state in a liquid, a method of adding as a solution by dissolving in a solvent, etc. From the viewpoint of controlling the addition amount and uniformly dispersing the additive in EVOH, a method of adding the additive as a solution dissolved in a solvent is particularly preferable. In this case, the solvent is not particularly limited, but water is preferable in consideration of the solubility of the additive, the cost advantage, the ease of handling, the safety of the working environment, and the like. Moreover, although the said additive may be added from one place of an extruder, you may add from two or more places. The method for injecting the solution is not particularly limited as in the case of the cleaning liquid. This also applies to the resin additive solution.

  When an additive such as the carboxylic acid is added as a solution to EVOH, the lower limit of the amount of solution added is 1 part by weight or more, further 3 parts by weight or more with respect to 100 parts by weight of EVOH dry weight. 5 parts by weight or more is particularly preferable. Moreover, the upper limit of the addition amount of the solution is preferably 50 parts by weight or less, more preferably 30 parts by weight or less, and particularly preferably 20 parts by weight or less with respect to 100 parts by weight of EVOH dry weight. If the addition amount of the solution is less than 1 part by weight, generally, the concentration of the solution becomes high, and the effect of improving the dispersibility of the additive may not be sufficiently obtained. On the other hand, when the addition amount of the solution is larger than 50 parts by weight, it may be difficult to control the water content of EVOH, and the resin and the water contained in the resin are easily phase separated in the extruder.

  Conventionally, a treatment method in which EVOH is immersed in a treatment solution has been known. However, with such a method, it has been difficult to obtain a good quality product for the crumb-like precipitates of EVOH. However, when blended in an extruder, an additive such as carboxylic acid can be uniformly added to EVOH in such a form, and EVOH resin composition pellets having stable quality can be obtained.

  The resin temperature in the extruder is preferably 70 to 170 ° C. When the resin temperature is less than 70 ° C., EVOH may not be completely melted. The resin temperature is preferably 80 ° C. or higher, particularly 90 ° C. or higher. On the other hand, when the resin temperature exceeds 170 ° C., EVOH is susceptible to thermal degradation. Furthermore, when the resin temperature exceeds 170 ° C., the evaporation of water becomes vigorous, so that it becomes difficult to mix with EVOH at a suitable dispersion concentration or aqueous solution concentration. From this viewpoint, the resin temperature is preferably 150 ° C. or lower, and more preferably 130 ° C. or lower. Although the adjustment method of resin temperature is not specifically limited, The method of setting the temperature of the cylinder in an extruder appropriately is preferable.

  The resin temperature may be determined by applying a temperature measured by a temperature sensor installed in the extruder cylinder. A suitable location for the temperature sensor is the vicinity of the discharge port at the tip of the extruder.

  The water content of the EVOH resin composition immediately after discharge from the extruder is preferably 5 to 40% by weight, particularly preferably 5 to 35% by weight. If the water content of the EVOH resin composition immediately after discharge from the extruder exceeds 40% by weight, the resin and water contained in the resin are liable to cause phase separation. When phase separation occurs, the strands discharged from the extruder are easily foamed. On the other hand, if the water content of the EVOH composition immediately after discharge of the extruder is less than 5% by weight, the effect of suppressing the deterioration of EVOH due to heating in the extruder becomes insufficient, and the coloring resistance of the EVOH pellets is sufficient. It may not be obtained. The moisture content is adjusted by supplying water to the extruder, removing water from the extruder, or a combination of supplying water to the extruder and removing water from the extruder. Since water is supplied to the extruder as a cleaning liquid, an aqueous dispersion, an aqueous solution, and the like, the supply amount and discharge amount of water may be adjusted in consideration of these.

  Although the method of pelletizing the EVOH resin composition discharged from the extruder is not particularly limited, the resin composition may be extruded from a die into a strand into a coagulation bath and cut to an appropriate length. In order to facilitate handling of the pellets, the diameter of the die is preferably 2 to 5 mmφ (φ is the diameter; the same applies hereinafter), and the strand is preferably cut to a length of about 1 to 5 mm.

  The obtained pellets are usually subjected to a drying process. The moisture content of the EVOH resin composition pellets after drying is preferably 1% by weight or less, and more preferably 0.5% by weight. The drying method is not particularly limited, but a stationary drying method, a fluidized drying method, and the like are suitable, and a multistage drying process in which several drying methods are combined may be applied. Among these, a method of drying by a fluidized drying method and then drying by a stationary drying method is preferable.

  When EVOH resin composition pellets are simply immersed in the treatment solution for treatment, the water content of the treated EVOH usually reaches about 40 to 70% by weight. However, when EVOH is melted in an extruder and a necessary processing agent is added in the extruder as in the present invention, the moisture content of the EVOH resin composition immediately after the discharge from the extruder can be easily adjusted. The water content in the EVOH resin composition is preferably 5 to 40% by weight. When such a pellet having a low water content is used, energy consumption in the drying process can be reduced.

  When pellets with a moisture content exceeding 40% by weight are dried at a temperature of 100 ° C. or higher, fusion of the pellets may occur. Also in this respect, the blending of the additive in the extruder is advantageous.

  It is also possible to melt mold EVOH resin composition pellets obtained by the above method by blending EVOH having different degrees of polymerization, ethylene content and saponification degree. In addition, appropriate amounts of other plasticizers, stabilizers, surfactants, colorants, UV absorbers, antistatic agents, desiccants, crosslinking agents, metal salts, fillers, various fibers, etc. are added to the pellets. It is also possible to add.

  It is also possible to mix a thermoplastic resin other than EVOH. Examples of thermoplastic resins include various polyolefins (polyethylene, polypropylene, poly 1-butene, poly 4-methyl-1-pentene, ethylene-propylene copolymers, copolymers of ethylene and α-olefins having 4 or more carbon atoms, polyolefins. And maleic anhydride copolymers, ethylene-vinyl ester copolymers, ethylene-acrylic ester copolymers, or modified polyolefins obtained by graft-modifying them with unsaturated carboxylic acids or their derivatives), various nylons (nylon -6, nylon-6,6, nylon-6 / 6,6 copolymer, etc.), polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyester, polystyrene, polyacrylonitrile, polyurethane, polyacetal, and modified polyvinyl alcohol resin.

  The obtained EVOH resin composition pellets are molded into various molded articles such as films, sheets, containers, pipes, fibers, etc. by melt molding. These molded bodies may be pulverized and molded again for the purpose of reuse. It is also possible to uniaxially or biaxially stretch films, sheets, fibers, and the like. As the melt molding method, extrusion molding, inflation extrusion, blow molding, melt spinning, injection molding and the like can be applied. The melting temperature may be appropriately selected depending on the melting point of the copolymer, but is preferably about 150 to 270 ° C.

  The EVOH resin composition pellets may be formed as a film, a sheet, etc., and provided for practical use as a multilayer structure with other layers. The multilayer structure is not particularly limited. When the EVOH resin composition is E, the adhesive resin is Ad, and the thermoplastic resin is T, E / Ad / T, T / Ad / E / Ad / T, etc. Can be mentioned. Each layer may be a single layer or multiple layers.

  The multilayer structure may be molded into various shapes as it is, but may be subjected to a stretching treatment in order to improve physical properties. When a stretching process is performed, a stretched film, a stretched sheet, or the like that does not cause breakage, pinholes, stretching unevenness, delamination, or the like can be obtained. The stretching may be either uniaxial stretching or biaxial stretching. In general, the stretching is performed at a high magnification as much as possible to improve the physical properties. As a stretching method, in addition to a roll stretching method, a tenter stretching method, a tubular stretching method, a stretching blow method, and the like, a deep drawing method, a vacuum forming method, or the like having a high stretching ratio may be employed. In the case of biaxial stretching, either a simultaneous biaxial stretching method or a sequential biaxial stretching method may be applied. The stretching temperature is, for example, 80 to 170 ° C, preferably 100 to 160 ° C.

  After the stretching is completed, heat setting may be performed. What is necessary is just to implement heat setting by the method conventionally performed, for example, what is necessary is just to process about 2-600 second at 80-170 degreeC, Preferably it is 100-160 degreeC, maintaining a stretched film. The obtained stretched film may be subjected to a cooling process, a printing process, a dry laminating process, a solution or melt coating process, a bag making process, a box process, a tube process, a split process, and the like as necessary.

  EXAMPLES Next, although an Example demonstrates this invention further in detail, this invention is not limited to this Example. In addition, all the water used ion-exchange water.

(1) Measurement of moisture content Take 20 g of water-containing EVOH as a sample in a well-dried weighing bottle, dry it with a hot air dryer at 120 ° C for 24 hours, and use the following formula from the change in EVOH weight before and after drying. The water content of EVOH was determined.

  Water content (% by weight) = {(weight before drying−weight after drying) / weight before drying} × 100

(2) Quantification of added trace components Quantification was performed according to the following method. In addition, the following "dry chip" is an EVOH resin composition pellet to which at least one selected from carboxylic acid, boron compound, phosphoric acid compound, alkali metal salt and alkaline earth metal salt is added in an extruder, It was obtained by drying at 100 ° C. for 15 hours using a fluid hot air dryer and subsequently drying at 100 ° C. for 15 hours using a stationary hot air dryer.
(2-a) Determination of acetic acid content 20 g of dried chips used as a sample was put into 100 ml of ion-exchanged water and extracted by heating at 95 ° C for 6 hours. The extract was neutralized with 1/50 N NaOH using phenolphthalein as an indicator, and the acetic acid content was quantified.
(2-b) Determination of K ions 10 g of a dry chip as a sample was put into 50 ml of 0.01N hydrochloric acid aqueous solution and stirred at 95 ° C. for 6 hours. The aqueous solution after stirring was quantitatively analyzed using ion chromatography to quantify the amount of K ions. The column used was “ICS-C25” manufactured by Yokogawa Electric Corporation, and the eluent was an aqueous solution containing 5.0 mM tartaric acid and 1.0 mM 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid. A calibration curve prepared with an aqueous potassium chloride solution was used for the determination. From the amount of K ions thus obtained, the amount of alkali metal salt in the dry chip was obtained in terms of metal.
(2-c) Quantitative determination of boron compound An aqueous Na ₂ CO ₃ solution was added to a dry chip as a sample, and ashed at 600 ° C with a platinum crucible. The obtained sample was dissolved by adding hydrochloric acid, and the content of the boron compound was quantified in terms of boron by ICP emission spectrometry.
(2-d) Quantification of phosphate ion 10 g of a dry chip as a sample was put into 50 ml of 0.01 N hydrochloric acid aqueous solution and stirred at 95 ° C. for 6 hours. The aqueous solution after stirring was quantitatively analyzed using ion chromatography to determine the amount of phosphate ions. The column used was “ICS-A23” manufactured by Yokogawa Electric Corporation, and the eluent was an aqueous solution containing 2.5 mM sodium carbonate and 1.0 mM sodium bicarbonate. For the determination, a calibration curve prepared with a phosphoric acid aqueous solution was used. From the amount of phosphate ions thus obtained, the content of the phosphate compound was obtained in terms of phosphate radical.

(3) Melt index (MI)
According to ASTM-D1238, a melt indexer was used, and measurement was performed under conditions of a temperature of 190 ° C. and a load of 2160 g.

(4) Single-layer film formation test (4-a) Film appearance A single-layer film formation of EVOH dry pellets was performed using an extruder having the following specifications, and the film appearance was evaluated. Evaluation was made by visually observing the appearance of the film one hour after the start of film formation.

(Extruder specifications)
Extruder GT-40-A Made by Plastic Engineering Laboratory Co., Ltd. Model Single screw extruder (non-vent type)
L / D 26
CR 3.5
40mm diameter
Screw single-flight full flight type, surface nitrided steel Rotation speed 40rpm
Drive machine Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. DC motor SCR-DC218B
Motor capacity DC7.5KW (rated 45A)
Heater 4 split type Die width 300mm
Resin temperature in die 240 ° C
Take-up speed: 10 m / min (4-b) Coloring A sample (film 1 hour after the start of film formation) used for film appearance evaluation was wound around a paper tube, and coloring of the film end face was visually determined.

Example 1
Water was added and dissolved in polyvinyl alcohol (“PVA-105” manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd.) to prepare a resin additive solution (PVA aqueous solution) having a resin concentration of 20% by weight.

  An EVOH pellet having an ethylene content of 44 mol%, a saponification degree of 99.5 mol%, a melt index of 5 g / 10 min during drying, and a water content of 50 wt% is shown in FIG. The raw material supply unit 1 was used. When water discharged from the drainage part (drainage slit) 2 and the vent port 3 was collected, the amount of drained liquid was 4.0 L / hour. Further, a treatment solution composed of an acetic acid / boric acid / potassium dihydrogen phosphate aqueous solution was added from the trace component addition unit 4, and a PVA aqueous solution prepared as described above from the resin addition unit 5 was added.

  The amount of EVOH pellets charged per unit time is 10 kg / hour (including the weight of water contained), the amount of PVA aqueous solution added per unit time is 1.25 L / hour, and the amount of trace component aqueous solution added is 0.25 L / hour. It was time. The composition of the trace component aqueous solution at this time was acetic acid 2.2 g / L, boric acid 30 g / L, and potassium dihydrogen phosphate 0.6 g / L.

  The specifications of the twin screw extruder are shown below (the configuration is the same as in FIG. 1).

Type Twin screw extruder L / D 45.5
Diameter 30mmφ
Screw Same direction complete meshing type Rotation speed 300rpm
Motor capacity DC22KW
Heater 13 split type Number of die holes 5 holes (3mmφ)
Resin temperature in extruder 100 ° C
Take-off speed: 5 m / min The resin temperature in the extruder was 100 ° C., and the moisture content of the EVOH resin composition pellets after discharge from the extruder was 33% by weight. The pellets obtained under the above operating conditions were dried at 100 ° C. for 25 hours using a fluid dryer, and subsequently dried at 100 ° C. for 15 hours using a stationary dryer. When the EVOH resin composition pellets after drying were analyzed, the water content was 0.3% by weight, the acetic acid content was 100 ppm, the boron compound content was 270 ppm in terms of boron, and the phosphate compound content was in terms of phosphate radicals. The content of alkali metal salt was 6 ppm in terms of potassium. The melt index was 1.5 g / 10 minutes.

  A single-layer film was formed using the obtained dry pellets, and the appearance and coloring of the film-formed product were evaluated. As a result, no agglomerates were observed on the film membrane surface, and the appearance was good. In addition, coloring due to thermal degradation of EVOH and PVA was not recognized.

(Example 2)
A resin composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the liquid added in the extruder was changed from the PVA aqueous solution to the EVOH emulsion.

  The EVOH emulsion was prepared as follows. Sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonate unit was randomly copolymerized with 1.2 mol% of EVOH, ethylene content 33 mol%, saponification degree 99.6 mol%, melt index 10 g / 10 min. An EVOH emulsion is prepared using EVOH modified with sulfonic acid anion as a dispersion stabilizer, EVOH of 32 mol%, saponification degree of 99.5 mol%, EVOH having a melt index of 1 g / 10 min as a dispersoid, and water as a dispersion medium. did. This emulsion had an average particle size of 0.7 μm and a solid content concentration of 26% by weight.

  When the EVOH resin composition pellets after drying were analyzed, the water content was 0.3% by weight, the acetic acid content was 100 ppm, the boron compound content was 270 ppm in terms of boron, and the phosphate compound content was in terms of phosphate radicals. The content of alkali metal salt was 6 ppm in terms of potassium. The melt index was 1.5 g / 10 minutes.

  A single-layer film was formed using the obtained dry pellets, and the appearance and coloring of the film-formed product were evaluated. As a result, no agglomerates were observed on the film membrane surface, and there was no coloring due to thermal degradation of EVOH, and the appearance was extremely good.

(Comparative Example 1)
EVOH pellets having an ethylene content of 44 mol%, a saponification degree of 99.5 mol%, a water content of 0.3 wt%, and a melt index of 5 g / 10 min were introduced into the raw material supply section of the same extruder as in Example 1 for extrusion. A resin composition was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the resin temperature in the machine was 250 ° C.

  The input amount of EVOH pellets per unit time was 10 kg / hour (including the weight of water contained). A PVA aqueous solution having a resin concentration of 20% by weight prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 was supplied from the resin addition section at 2.5 L / hour. Further, a treatment liquid having a composition of 2.2 g / L of acetic acid, 30 g / L of boric acid, and 0.6 g / L of potassium dihydrogen phosphate was added at an addition amount of 0.5 L / hour per unit time.

  The resin temperature in the extruder was 250 ° C., and the resin composition after being discharged from the extruder was intensely colored and could not be sampled due to foaming of moisture.

(Comparative Example 2)
A 45 wt% methanol solution of an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer having an ethylene content of 44 mol% was charged into a saponification reactor, and a caustic soda / methanol solution (80 g / L) was added to the vinyl acetate component in the copolymer to 0%. .4 equivalents and methanol was added to adjust the copolymer concentration to 20% by weight. The temperature was raised to 60 ° C., and the reaction was carried out for about 4 hours while blowing nitrogen gas into the reactor. After 4 hours, the reaction was terminated by neutralization with acetic acid to obtain a methanol solution of EVOH having an ethylene content of 44 mol% and a saponification degree of 99.5 mol%.

  This EVOH solution was extruded from a metal plate having a circular opening into water to precipitate a strand, and was cut to obtain a pellet having a diameter of about 3 mm and a length of about 5 mm. The obtained pellets were drained with a centrifuge, and a large amount of water was further added to drain the pellets.

  The thus obtained 3.5 kg of EVOH pellets (water content 55% by weight) was mixed with 6 L of an aqueous solution having an acetic acid concentration of 0.1 g / L, a potassium dihydrogen phosphate concentration of 0.04 g / L, and a boric acid concentration of 0.7 g / L. For 6 hours at room temperature. After immersion, the liquid was drained to obtain pellets having a moisture content of 55% by weight. Further, the pellets were put into a fluidized dryer, and dried at 80 ° C. for 15 hours, followed by drying at 100 ° C. for 24 hours using a stationary dryer to obtain pellets having a moisture content of 0.3% by weight.

  The content of acetic acid in the obtained pellets after drying is 100 ppm, the content of boron compound is 270 ppm in terms of boron, the content of phosphate compound is 20 ppm in terms of phosphate radical, and the content of alkali metal salt is in terms of potassium as metal It was 10 ppm. The melt index was 1.5 g / 10 minutes.

  5 parts by weight of PVA used in Example 1 (“PVA-105” manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd .; powder) was added to 100 parts by weight of the pellets, and a tumbler (manufactured by NISSUI KAKO) was used and mixed well for 5 minutes. It was. Next, the obtained mixture was charged at 10 kg / hr into the raw material supply section of an extruder having the same structure as shown in FIG. 1, the resin temperature in the extruder was 250 ° C., and the trace component addition section and the resin addition section were used. Extrusion test was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except that nothing was added.

  The resin temperature at the discharge port was 250 ° C., and the resulting pellets were dried at 100 ° C. for 25 hours using a fluid dryer, resulting in a moisture content of 0.3% by weight. At this time, a large amount of fine powder was generated in the fluid dryer.

  Moreover, single layer film-forming of the obtained resin composition pellet was performed, and the external appearance and coloring of the film-forming goods were evaluated. As a result, aggregates were observed on the entire film film surface, the appearance was poor, and the film was severely yellowed.

  The above results are summarized in Tables 1 to 4.

It is a side view which shows the cylinder and screw of a twin-screw extruder which can be used for implementation of one form of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Raw material supply part 2 Liquid removal part 3 Vent port 4 Trace component addition part 5 Resin (aqueous solution, aqueous dispersion) addition part 6 Temperature sensor 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d Full flight screw part 8a, 8b, 8c Reverse flight screw part

Claims (9)

An ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin having a water content of 0.5% by weight or more is introduced into the extruder, and the resin is dispersed in water in the water-containing and molten ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin in the extruder. When mixing and kneading the liquid,
The aqueous dispersion of the resin contains at least one selected from a polyvinyl acetate emulsion, a polyacrylate emulsion, a polyurethane emulsion, an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer emulsion, and a latex. A method for producing a vinyl alcohol copolymer resin composition.   The method for producing an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin composition according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of the resin in the aqueous dispersion of the resin is 0.5 to 70% by weight.   The method for producing an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a blending amount of the resin with respect to 100 parts by weight of the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin is 0.1 to 200 parts by weight. .   The ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer has an ethylene content of 3 to 70 mol% and a saponification degree of 80 to 100 mol%. Manufacturing method.   The method for producing an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the water content of the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin introduced into the extruder is 0.5 to 70% by weight. .   The method for producing an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the water content of the resin composition immediately after being discharged from the extruder is 5 to 40% by weight.   Ethylene in a water-containing and molten state in the extruder by supplying water to the extruder, removing water from the extruder, or a combination of supplying water to the extruder and removing water from the extruder The manufacturing method of the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin composition in any one of Claims 1-6 which adjusts the moisture content of vinyl alcohol copolymer resin.   The method for producing an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin composition according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the melting temperature of the resin in the extruder is 70 to 170 ° C. After the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin composition obtained by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is discharged from an extruder and cut into pellets, the water content becomes 1% by weight or less. The manufacturing method of the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin composition pellet to dry.

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