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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Plant Polymer Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #216410
Title: Preparation of copolymers of aspartic acid and aliphatic dicarboxylic acids by reactive extrusion

Author
item Shogren, Randal
item WESTMORELAND, DAVID - FOLIA INC, BIRMINGHAM AL
item GONZALEZ, SERGIO - BASF CORP, SOUTHFIELD MI
item Willett, Julious
item SWIFT, GRAHAM - FOLIA INC, BIRMINGHAM AL

Submitted to: American Chemical Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/20/2007
Publication Date: 4/7/2008
Citation: Shogren, R.L., Westmoreland, D., Gonzalez, S., Willett, J.L., Swift, G. 2008. Preparation of copolymers of aspartic acid and aliphatic dicarboxylic acids by reactive extrusion. American Chemical Society Abstracts.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Aspartic acid may be prepared chemically or by the fermentation of carbohydrates. Currently, low molecular weight (MW) polyaspartic acids are prepared commercially by heating aspartic acid at high temperatures (>220 deg C) for several hours in the solid state. In an effort to develop a more rapid, continuous, melt polymerization scheme, aspartic acid was copolymerized with adipic, azelaic, sebacic and dodecanedioic acids using a vented twin-screw extruder. Copolymers having ratios of aspartic/diacid < 16 and MW up to 3000 were prepared at temperatures of 240-260 deg C and residence times of only about 5 minutes. MW generally increased with aspartic/diacid ratio but melt viscosities became very high and processing became difficult at ratios >15. Some of the copolymers exhibited inhibition of calcium carbonate precipitation at concentrations similar to that of pure polyaspartic acid and thus may find application as antiscalants.