POWDERY WATER-SOLUBLE CATIONIC POLYMER COMPOSITION

• US 20170226696A1
• Filed: 08/26/2015
• Published: 08/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solenis Technologies LP (Olympus Water Holdings IV LP)
• Original Assignee: Solenis Technologies LP (Olympus Water Holdings IV LP)
• Inventors: Broecher, Markus, Bierganns, Patric
• Granted Patent: US 10,443,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 21/01 using flocculating agents for purifying water C02F1/52; for liquid radioactive waste G21F9/10
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/56 Macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 220/06 Acrylic acid; Methacrylic acid; Metal salts or ammonium salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 283/00 Macromolecular compounds obtained by polymerising monomers on to polymers provided for in subclass C08G
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2333/26 Homopolymers or copolymers of acrylamide or methacrylamide
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2471/03 Polyepihalohydrins
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 3/12 Powdering or granulating
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2314/00 Polymer mixtures characterised by way of preparation
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 33/00 Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and only one being terminated by only one carboxyl radical, or of salts, anhydrides, esters, amides, imides or nitriles thereof; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 33/26 Homopolymers or copolymers of acrylamide or methacrylamide
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 39/00 Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by a single or double bond to nitrogen or by a heterocyclic ring containing nitrogen; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 17/375 Poly(meth)acrylamide
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 17/44 cationic
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 17/45 Nitrogen-containing groups
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 17/46 obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 17/56 Polyamines; Polyimines; Polyester-imides
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 21/10 Retention agents or drainage improvers

Abstract

The invention relates to powdery, water-soluble, cationic polymer composition comprising at least two different cationic polymers, namely a first cationic polymer and a second cationic polymer, which differ in chemical nature and molecular weight, as well to a method for producing such powdery, water-soluble, cationic polymer composition, and to its use for promoting flocculation in solid-liquid separation, for example as a retention aid in paper manufacture, and in sludge dewatering/wastewater purification.

Claims

1. A powdery water-soluble cationic polymer composition comprising a first cationic polymer and a second cationic polymer;

wherein the second cationic polymer is formed by non-radical polymerization; and

wherein the first cationic polymer is formed in the presence of the second cationic polymer by radical adiabatic gel polymerization of an aqueous composition comprising a radically polymerizable cationic monomer, a radically polymerizable nonionic monomer, and the second cationic polymer.

2. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the second cationic polymer

has a weight-average molecular weight lower than about 1 million g/mol;

and/or

is a polyamine.

3. The composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second cationic polymer is polyamine selected from the group consisting of polyethyleneimines, poly(dimethylamine(co)epichlorohydrin) and poly(dimethylamine-co-epichlorohydrin-co-ethylene-diamine).

4. The composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein

the first cationic polymer has a weight-average molecular weight higher than about 1 million g/mol;

and/or

the content of cationic monomers in the aqueous composition is within the range of from about 20 wt.-% to about 90 wt.-%, relative to the total content of monomers; and

/or

the cationic monomer in the aqueous composition is selected from the group consisting of dimethylallylammonium chloride, cationized esters of (meth)acrylic acid containing a quaternized N atom, and cationized amides of (meth)acrylic acid containing a quaternized N atom; and

/or

the content of nonionic monomers in the aqueous composition is within the range of from about 10 wt.-% to about 80 wt.-%, relative to the total content of monomers; and

/or

the non-ionic monomer in the aqueous composition is (meth) acrylamide.

5. The composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the cationic monomer in the aqueous composition is selected from the group consisting of quaternized dimethylaminopropylacrylamide, quaternized dimethylaminoethyl acrylate and/or diallyldimethylammonium chloride.

6. The composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first cationic polymer has a lower charge density than the second cationic polymer.

7. The composition according to any of the preceding claims, which contains not more than 5 ml/l insolubles when being dispersed in water.

8. A method for producing the powdery cationic polymer composition according to any of the preceding claims, the method comprising the steps of

a) preparing the aqueous composition comprising the radically polymerizable cationic monomer, the radically polymerizable nonionic monomer, and the second cationic polymer that is formed by non-radical polymerization;

b) adjusting the temperature of the aqueous composition to a temperature within the range of from about −

10°

C. to about 25°

C., and purging oxygen by an inert gas;

c) starting radical adiabatic gel polymerization of the radically polymerizable cationic monomer and the radically polymerizable nonionic monomer in the presence of the second cationic polymer by adding a polymerization initiator;

d) allowing the temperature of the aqueous composition to increase because of the exothermic polymerization reaction and to form a polymer gel while reaching the maximum polymerization temperature; and

e) subjecting the polymer gel to mechanical size reduction and drying the polymer gel after the maximum temperature has been reached.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein

in step b) the temperature is adjusted to a temperature within the range of from about 0°

C. to about 15°

C.; and

/or

in step e) after size reduction, the aqueous polymer gel is dried at a temperature within the range of from about 80°

C. to about 120°

C. to a moisture content of less than or equal to about 12.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein in step a) the overall concentration of the radically polymerizable cationic monomer, the radically polymerizable nonionic monomer, and the second cationic polymer in the aqueous composition is within the range of from about 10 wt.-% to about 60 wt.-%, relative to the total weight of the aqueous composition.

11. The method according to any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the polymerization is carried out on a polymerization belt.

12. Use of the powdery water-soluble cationic polymer composition according to any of claims 1 to 7 for promoting flocculation during solid/liquid separation.

13. A method for promoting flocculation during solid/liquid separation, the method comprising the step of adding the polymer composition according to any of claims 1 to 7 to a mixture of solids and liquids.

14. The use according to claim 12 or the method according to claim 13, wherein the solid/liquid separation is for purification of wastewaters and for conditioning of potable water.

15. The use according to claim 12 or the method according to claim 13, wherein the solid/liquid separation is during paper manufacture.