US EPA

1122002 

Journal Article 

RECOVERY OF METHANOL AND ZINC-CHLORIDE FROM WASTE PROCESS WATER 

Bataille, P; Granger, F 

1983 

No 

Sciences et Techniques de l'Eau
ISSN: 0823-0269 

ASSN QUEBECOISE TECH EAU 

MONTREAL 

HEEP/85/01387 

16 

4 

337-341 

French 

WOS:A1983RW43600004 

HEEP COPYRIGHT: BIOL ABS. In the polymerization process, to obtain an alternating copolymer of methyl methacrylate and styrene, large amounts of ZnCl2 and of methanol must be used. The ZnCl2 is the complexing agent which allows the alternating polymerization to take place and the methanol is the precipitant used to recover the polymer. All this gives a mixture of products in the residue. Among the residues, about 75% is methanol, 10% ketones, 10% water and the rest is styrene, methyl methacrylate, HCl and dissolved ZnCl2. The process would be economical if the ZnCl2 could be recovered; furthermore, the disposal of this residue would create ecological problems. It was thus imperative to find a way to separate out the major constituents of the mixture and to recover them. In this work, first the methanol is recovered and then the ZnCl2. The methanol recovered is of equivalent purity to the original methanol used. The ZnCl2 was recovered as a chloride. It can also be recovered as a sulfide or an oxide. The Fe ions were eliminated and the treated effluent contains only traces of the other organic compounds.