Patent ID: 7365149

Claim:
A method for cleaning a surface of a melt polymerization reactor system having residual reaction components of a melt polymerization reaction thereon, comprising the steps of: (a) introducing a cleaning agent to the melt polymerization reactor system and into contact with the surface of the melt polymerization reactor system having residual reaction components of a melt polymerization reaction thereon, (b) maintaining the cleaning agent in contact with the surface for a period of time and at a temperature sufficient to substantially remove the residual reaction components from the surface, and (c) removing the cleaning agent and the removed residual reaction components from the melt polymerization reactor system, wherein, the cleaning agent comprises an ester-substituted phenol and wherein the residual reaction components of the melt polymerization reaction comprise polycarbonate oligomers or polymers, thereby cleaning a surface of a melt polymerization reactor system having residual reaction components of a melt polymerization reaction thereon.