Patent ID: 9688781
Date: 2017-06-27
CPC Classifications: A61L,C08F

Claim:
1. A Process for making clay-crosslinked superabsorbent polymers, comprising: a) providing a dispersion or solution of charged polymerizable compounds and clay particles in carrier liquid; and providing a polymerization initiator as a dispersion or solution in a carrier liquid; b) introducing said dispersion(s)/solution(s) and initiator of step a) into a spraying tool and spraying said dispersions/solutions and initiator into a vessel to obtain a spray-stream of thereof, starting thereby polymerization of said polymerizable compounds and crosslinking thereof by said clay particles; c) removing at least part of said carrier liquid, to obtain clay-crosslinked superabsorbent polymers in solid or gel form, whereby said clay particles have a weight average largest particle dimension of less than 800 nm and/or are individual clay particles; and whereby said particles have a core enclosing an internal void volume; wherein the process further comprises the use of a spraying tool with one or more inlets; and step a) comprises the sub-steps of i) providing a dispersion or solution of polymerizable compounds in a carrier liquid in a first reservoir; ii) separately providing a dispersion of clay particles in a carrier liquid in a second reservoir; iii) combining said dispersions/solutions of i) and ii) in said spraying tool; whereby said initiator, is added to said clay dispersion, polymerizable compound solution or dispersion or to said spray tool.