Melamine-Formaldehyde-Supported Titanium-Based Heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta Catalyst for Ethylene Polymerization in Slurry Process

Abstract

Ethylene was polymerized at 40°C temperature and 1 atm. pressure using melamine-formaldehyde (M-F) supported titanium tetrachloride (TiCl₄) catalyst. Polymer-supported catalysts were prepared with a different weight ratio of TiCl₄/ M-F in hexane. The wt% titanium incorporated in the polymer matrix was determined by UV-visible spectroscopy. In addition, the resulting catalysts were characterized by SEM-EDX, XRD, and TGA. The catalytic productivity is found to be 4721.09 g PE/g Ti/h. The productivity of the catalysts also depends on the titanium content in the polymer matrix. The catalyst with titanium content 3.5 wt% showed maximum activity. These catalysts also showed good storability.

Keywords:

• Catalyst activity
• ethylene polymerization
• melamine-formaldehyde
• polymer support
• ziegler–natta

Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful to the CSIR, India (CSIR Sanction No: 01(2202)/07/EMR-II), for their financial support to carry out the research work. They are also thankful to Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Hazira, India, for helping with the analysis of the catalytic activity of the catalyst.