Patent ID: 8900707

Claim:
A method for producing water-absorbent resin particles by reversed phase suspension polymerization of a water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer, the method comprising the steps of: (A) first reversed phase suspension polymerization of a water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer in a petroleum hydrocarbon dispersion medium using a water-soluble radical polymerization initiator, in the absence of an internal crosslinking agent and in the presence of a surfactant having an HLB of 8 to 12; (B) intermediate crosslinking reaction by adding an intermediate crosslinking agent; (C) second reversed phase suspension polymerization of a water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer added to the petroleum hydrocarbon dispersion medium containing the surfactant dissolved therein using a water-soluble radical polymerization initiator in the absence of an internal crosslinking agent, thereby producing a water-absorbent resin precursor; and (D) post crosslinking reaction of the water-absorbent resin precursor preliminary adjusted to have a moisture content of 30 to 100% by mass relative to a water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer component in the water-absorbent resin precursor.