Removal of catalyst from olefin polymerization products

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS WHEREIN OLEFINIC HYDROCARBON IS POLYMERIZED IN AN INERT REACTION MEDIUM BY MEANS OF A CATALYST SYSTEM COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF (1) A METAL HALIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TITANIUM HALIDES, VANADIUM HALIDES AND VANADIUM OXYHALIDES AND (2) AN ALUMINUM ALKYL COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TRIALKYL ALUMINUM, DIALKYL ALUMINUM MONOHALIDE, ALKYL ALUMINUM DIHALIDE AND ALUMINUM SESQUIHALIDE, AND WHEREIN THE REACTION PRODUCT IS SOLUBLE IN THE REACTION MEDIUM, THE METHOD OF SEPARATING CATALYST COMPONENTS FROM THE REACTION MIXTURE WHICH COMPRISES ADMIXING THE REACTION MIXTURE WITH A FINELY DIVIDED AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CARBONATES, BICARBONATES, HYDROXIDES AND OXIDES OF ALKALI METALS AND ALKALINE EARTH METALS, THE AMOUNT OF SAID AGENT ADDED TO THE REACTION MIXTURE BEING IN EXCESS OF THE AMOUNT OF SAID METAL HALIDE ON A WEIGHT BASIS, ADMIXING THE DISPERSION WITH WATER IN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO DESTROY THE CATALYST BUT INSUFFICIENT TO SOLUBILIZE SAID AGENT, WHEREBY ACIDIC MATERIAL FORMED IS NEUTRALIZED BY SAID AGENT AND SOLID PARTICLES CONTAINING SAID AGENT AND THE CATALYST RESIDUE ARE OBTAINED, AND SEPARATING THE SOLID PARTICLES FROM THE REACTION MEDIUM SOLUTION.