Absorption Method for Purifying Lower Perfluoroolefins

Olena Matskiv1

Affiliation:

1 Lviv Polytechnic National University, 12 S. Bandery St., 79013 Lviv, Ukraine olena.o.matskiv@lpnu.ua

DOI:

https://doi.org/

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Keywords:

tetrafluoroethylene

hexafluoropropylene

fluorinated hydrocarbon compounds

impurities

absorption

purification

Abstract:

The present study investigates the relevance of producing fluorine-containing polymers based on tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and TFE-hexafluoropropylene (HFP) compositions. It has been demonstrated that the by-products resulting from the degradation of these polymers are hazardous, and their recycling or disposal is challenging. A thorough analysis of contemporary methods of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) recycling has been conducted, indicating that chemical processing of PTFE results in the generation of substantial quantities of monomers, including TFE, HFP, and cyclooctafluorobutene. These monomers can be utilized in the synthesis of new fluoropolymers, contingent upon the assurance of sufficient purity. The article puts forward a novel absorption-based method for the purification of HFP and TFE from fluorinated hydrocarbon compounds. It has been established that ethyl acetate (EA) is a selective solvent for TFE, HFP, and the associated fluorinated hydrocarbons. The solubility of all components of the gas mixture in EA was investigated within the temperature range of 263-313 K. An analysis was conducted on the temperature dependence of Henry’s law constant during dissolution, the results of which indicated an increase in the solubility of fluorinated organic gases in EA with an increase in temperature. The parameters of the absorption purification process for perfluoromonomers were determined, thereby enabling the reduction of fluorinated hydrocarbon compounds by two orders of magnitude and yielding monomer products with a main substance content of no less than 99.99 vol.%.

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Absorption Method for Purifying Lower Perfluoroolefins

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