Patent ID: 8410329

Claim:
A polyethylene production process, comprising: contacting ethylene and a polymerization catalyst under suitable reaction conditions to yield a polymerization product stream; separating a light gas stream from the polymerization product stream, wherein the light gas stream comprises ethane and unreacted ethylene; contacting the light gas stream with an absorption solvent system, wherein the absorption solvent system comprises copper chloride, aniline, and N-methylpyrrolidone, and wherein at least a portion of the unreacted ethylene from the light gas stream is absorbed by the absorption solvent system; removing unabsorbed gases of the light gas stream from contact with the absorption solvent system to form a waste gas stream; recovering unreacted ethylene from the absorption solvent system to yield recovered ethylene; and contacting the recovered ethylene and the polymerization catalyst, wherein the light gas stream further comprises isobutane and wherein at least a portion of the isobutane from the light as stream is absorbed by the absorption solvent system.