Patent ID: 7745507

Claim:
A method for making an absorbent member comprising modified water absorbent resin, said absorbent member being suitable for use in absorbent articles, said method comprising the steps of: a) providing an absorbent member; and b) providing modified water absorbent resin, said modified water absorbent resin being made by a method comprising: (i) a mixing step comprising mixing water absorbent resin, water, and a heat-degradable radical polymerization initiator without addition of an ethylenically unsaturated monomer, to obtain a water absorbent resin composition, and (ii) an irradiating step comprising irradiating said water absorbent resin composition obtained in the mixing step with active energy rays, and wherein the amount of water mixed in said step (i) exceeds 20 parts by weight and is not more than 100 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the water absorbent resin, and wherein the surface water content of said water absorbent resin in said water absorbent resin composition at least at any point of time in the irradiating step (ii) is controlled to a level of not lower than 3.0% according to the equation: (m)=(1)×((k)/100) wherein m is the surface water content in wt %, 1 is the weight ratio of the amount of water contained in a treating solution in wt % and k is the extraction ratio in wt %; c) furnishing said absorbent member said water absorbent resin, which has been made by the method of step b).