Sweet MAO

The present invention relates to activators for polymerization catalysts. More particularly the present invention relates to aluminoxane (or alumoxane or polyaluminum oxide) activators which have been treated with a carbohydrate prior to use as activators for polymerization catalysts such as single site catalysts. The present invention also relates to catalyst systems activated with such treated aluminum compounds and to polymerization processes using such treated aluminum compounds. Single site catalysts which contain a transition metal, a cyclopentadienyl may be activated with alumoxanes in the gas, solution or group-containing ligand, and a phosphinimine ligand slurry phase polymerization of olefin. Alumoxanes contain residual aluminum alkyls which may poison the catalysts. The residual aluminum alkyls may be bound and/or removed from the alumoxanes by treatment with carbohydrates such as cellulose, starch or sugar.