REVIEW OF APPROACHES TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL CHAIN FOR POLYETHERETHERKETONE SYNTHESIS

A targeted policy in the development of advanced materials, especially polymer-based ones, plays a key role in accelerating technological progress. Composite materials made of high-performance polyetheretherketone (PEEK) have several advantages, including excellent mechanical and electrical insulation properties, high thermal stability, and strong resistance to chemical degradation under various operating conditions. However, the monomer base for the production of the aforementioned monomers hasn’t been established in Russia. Therefore, the development of technologies for their production remains an actual task. Notably, hydroquinone is included in the product list of the import substitution roadmap for the chemical industry of the Russian Federation, as approved by the Order of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia dated November 15, 2022, No. 4743. The aim of this study is to develop a technological process chain for polyetheretherketone production, with a particular focus on monomer synthesis stages. Based on the analysis, a block diagram of various options for implementing the technological chain of polyetheretherketone synthesis was compiled, which shows the optimal ways of synthesizing monomers from the point of view of industrial implementation: for hydroquinone - oxidation of aniline with manganese dioxide in an aqueous medium of sulfuric acid, for 4,4'-difluorobenzophenone – direct production by diazotization of 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane with hydrofluoric acid. It is noted that an important component of the method for producing hydroquinone is the sale of a by-product – fertilizers (Tekmangam) containing at least 70 % manganese sulfate and 12 % ammonium sulfate obtained from production waste. Without effective implementation of by-products, the volumes of waste will be excessive, which will negatively affect the environmental and economic characteristics of the process. In addition, a specialized unit for the effective disposal of significant volumes of wastewater must be a mandatory stage of the installation. However, even taking into account the need for waste disposal and neutralization, the choice of the method for obtaining hydroquinone is cost-effective, since hydroquinone obtained by the proposed technology is used to produce one of the most expensive thermoplastic polymers today – polyetheretherketone.