Patent ID: 7579428

Claim:
A process for making polyester polymer particles without solid state polymerization, comprising polycondensing a polyester polymer in the form of a melt in a finisher reactor, in the presence of a germanium catalyst, at a polymer temperature which substantially remains below 285° C. for at least 95% of the residence time of said polycondensing in the finisher reactor, until an intrinsic viscosity of at least 0.72 dL/g is reached, wherein the polyester polymer comprises a carboxylic acid component comprising at least 92 mole % residues of terephthalic acid, and a hydroxyl component comprising at least 92 mole % residues of ethylene glycol, based on there being 100 mole percent carboxylic acid component residues and 100 mole percent hydroxyl component residues in the polyester polymer, and wherein no phosphorus compounds are added to the polyester polymer in the form of a melt prior to obtaining an lt.V. of 0.72 dL/g, and the polyester polymer particles are not treated with water to deactivate the germanium catalyst.