BIODEGRADABLE, WATER-SOLUBLE POLYCARBOXYLIC ACID COPOLYMERS, COMPOSITIONS CONTAINING SUCH COPOLYMERS AND METHODS OF USE OF SUCH COPOLYMERS

摘要

This invention is concerned with biodegradable water-soluble polycarboxylic acid copolymers having building, dispersing and threshold inhibiting properties, compositions containing such copolymers, and methods using such copolymers. It has been found that acid-functional monomers copolymerized to a low degree of polymerization with polyfunctional monomers yield compounds with good detergent performance and no loss of the biodegradability inherent in previously known low degree of polymerization polymers having poor detergent performance.