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Reducing the residual monomer content is a major concern of every polymer producer, as products with no, or very low levels of residual monomer have a marked commercial appeal. Styrene / butyl acrylate copolymers produced in emulsion polymerization reactions are widely applied in paper and paint industries. In this work, several strategies to reduce the residual monomer content of styrene and butyl acrylate copolymers produced in semicontinuous emulsion polymerization reactions are presented and tested. These strategies involve the continuous addition of initiator, increasing the reaction temperature during the last stage of the reaction, and adding a reducing agent or an initiator that is soluble in the organic phase at this last stage. The adequate combination of some of these techniques may result in a significant reduction of the residual monomer content in the final latex.

Reduzir o teor de monômero residual é uma preocupação de qualquer produtor de polímeros, pois produtos sem, ou com teores muito baixos de monômero residual, apresentam um apelo comercial diferenciado. Neste trabalho são apresentadas e testadas experimentalmente diversas estratégias para reduzir o teor de monômero residual de copolímeros estireno/acrilato de butila produzidos em reações semicontínuas de polimerização em emulsão, que são amplamente utilizados nas indústrias de papel e tintas. Estas estratégias envolvem a adição contínua de iniciador e/ou o aumento da temperatura do reator durante a última etapa da reação, além da adição de um agente redutor e/ou de um iniciador solúvel na fase orgânica. Verificou-se que a combinação adequada de diferentes técnicas pode levar a uma redução significativa no teor residual de monômeros no látex. Reducing the residual monomer content is a major concern of every polymer producer, as products with no, or very low levels of residual monomer have a marked commercial appeal. Styrene / butyl acrylate copolymers produced in emulsion polymerization reactions are widely applied in paper and paint industries. In this work, several strategies to reduce the residual monomer content of styrene and butyl acrylate copolymers produced in semicontinuous emulsion polymerization reactions are presented and tested. These strategies involve the continuous addition of initiator, increasing the reaction temperature during the last stage of the reaction, and adding a reducing agent or an initiator that is soluble in the organic phase at this last stage. The adequate combination of some of these techniques may result in a significant reduction of the residual monomer content in the final latex.