Superabsorbent polymers and methods of making the same

US8309668B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Evonik Stockhausen GmbH · US

Inventors

• Torsten Balduf · Pfungstadt, DE
• Gunther Bub · Marl, DE
• Jurgen Mosler · Marl, DE
• Andreas Sabbagh · Dülmen, DE
• Jurgen Kohn · Rheinberg, DE
• Arndt Selbach · Dirmstein, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 1, 2012
• Grant date: Nov 13, 2012
• Expiry date: May 1, 2032

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C07C51/43
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for producing a superabsorbent a polymer comprises (I) producing a pure (meth)acrylic acid comprising the steps of (a) synthesizing a crude (meth)acrylic acid phase; (b) distillatively working-up the crude (meth)acrylic acid phase to obtain a (meth)acrylic acid phase and a dimer phase comprising (meth)acrylic acid dimers or (meth)acrylic acid oligomers or both; (c) splitting at least a part of the (meth)acrylic acid dimers or of the (meth)acrylic acid oligomers or both from the dimer phase to obtain a (meth)acrylic acid-comprising low boiling phase and a high boiling phase comprising less (meth)acrylic acid than the low boiling phase; (d) separating at least a part of the (meth)acrylic acid from the low boiling phase to obtain a pure (meth)acrylic acid, and a residue; (II) polymerizing a monomer phase comprising the pure (meth)acrylic acid to obtain a polymer phase; and (III) working-up the polymer phase to obtain the polymer.