ISOSORBIDE CONTAINING POLYESTERS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain isosorbide containing polyesters which have superior resin quality and respond to the request of the market by an efficient and economical continuous method. SOLUTION: This invention relates to the process for producing a polyester comprising the steps of: (a) obtaining an aqueous homogenous solution of isosorbide; (b) feeding the aqueous homogenous solution of step (a) into a reactor; (c) feeding one or more glycols (which may or may not include isosorbide) and one or more dicarboxylic acids either into the aqueous solution of step (a) or into the reactor of step (b) either prior to, during and/or subsequent to step (b); (d) esterifying the reactor contents at sufficient temperatures and pressures, and optionally in the presence of suitable catalysts, to effect esterification; (e) forming a prepolymer; and (f) polycondensing the prepolymer at sufficient temperatures and pressures in the presence of a suitable catalyst to effect polycondensation to form a polyester. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT