Process for recycling aqueous fluid absorbents fines to a polymerizer

摘要

A process is described for recycling dry aqueous fluid absorbent polymer fines into a process that includes a polymerization step for making the aqueous fluid absorbent polymer. The process requires recovering the dry polymer fines, mixing the fines with a polymerizable monomer solution for making the aqueous fluid absorbent polymer and polymerizing the mixture of fines and monomer to form the aqueous fluid absorbent polymer. In the process the fines are incorporated into the new polymer gel and becomes indistinguishable therefrom. The gel may then comminuted into a particulate dried and then separated into a portion having a desired minimum particle size in a fines portion having less than the desired size. The fines portion is then recycled up to about 30 percent by weight based on gel solids may be recycled for the preferred polyacrylate based aqueous fluid absorbent polymer.