Patent ID: 8742027

Claim:
A process, comprising: drying a solution comprising at least one homopolymer of (meth)acrylic acid, at least one copolymer of (meth)acrylic acid and at least one other monomer, or a combination thereof, to obtain a homopolymer of (meth)acrylic acid in the dry state, a copolymer of (meth)acrylic acid with at least one other monomer in the dry state, or a combination of a homopolymer of (meth)acrylic acid and a copolymer of (meth)acrylic acid and at least one other monomer in the dry state; blending the product in the dry state obtained from said drying with at least one alkylene oxide in the liquid or gaseous state, and, optionally, at least one alkoxy polyoxyalkylene glycol in the molten state, at least one alkoxy polyoxyalkylene amine in the molten state, or a combination thereof, then functionalizing the homopolymer of (meth)acrylic acid, a copolymer of (meth)acrylic acid, or a combination thereof, by ethoxylation with at least one alkylene oxide, and, optionally, at least one of esterification with at least one alkoxy polyoxyalkylene glycol and amidification with at least one alkoxy polyoxyalkylene amine, thereby obtaining a comb polymer having a principal (meth)acrylic chain and polyoxyalkylated lateral groupings, wherein said drying is carried out in a dryer by atomization to obtain a dry matter rate of over 80%.