Patent ID: 8017553
Filing Date: 2011-09-13
Classification: A01G,C08B,C08F,C08L,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method for preparing a superabsorbent polymer seed coating, comprising: graft polymerizing a monomer onto a starch in the presence of an initiator to form a starch graft copolymer, wherein the monomer is at least one of the following: acrylic acid, acrylamide, acrylonitrile, methacrylamide, 2-acryloamido-2-methyl-propanesulfonic acid, methacrylic acid, vinyl sulfonic acid, ethyl acrylate, potassium acrylate, derivatives thereof or mixtures thereof; isolating the starch graft copolymer by extruding the starch graft copolymer into strands; applying an alcohol to the strands to reduce tackiness of the extruded strands, the alcohol chosen from: methanol, ethanol, propanol or isopropanol; forming granules of starch graft copolymer from the extruded strands; and screening the starch graft copolymer granules to select granules having a mesh size finer than about 75 mesh.