JPH08120015A - Production of highly water-absorbing resin - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To produce a highly water-absorbing resin which suffers little from the deposition of polymer scales on the inside wall and impeller of a reactor during its production, is suppressed in the formation of fine particles, has an easily handleable suitable mean particle diameter and a sharp particle diameter distribution, and can be obtained in the form of porous particles advantageous for water absorption and retention. CONSTITUTION: A process for producing a highly water-absorbing resin by subjecting an aqueous solution of a water-soluble monomer comprising an aqueous solution of a water-soluble unsaturated monomer comprising a partially neutralized salt of (meth)acrylic acid to a reversed-phase suspension polymerization reaction in a hydrocarbon solvent, wherein the polymerization is performed in the presence of a β-1,3-glucan, and part of the water together with the hydrocarbon solvent is azeotropically distilled off from the system during the polymerization reaction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention has a moderate average particle size and a sharp particle size distribution which are less likely to cause scaling in a reactor or a stirring blade during polymerization, suppress the generation of fine particles, and are easy to handle. Relates to a method for producing a highly water-absorbent resin capable of obtaining porous particles which are advantageous for water absorption and water retention.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Super absorbent polymers having the property of absorbing a large amount of water are useful as a body fluid absorbent that absorbs body fluids and prevents leakage in sanitary and sanitary products. It is also used in applications such as seed coating agents, waterstops, thickeners, anti-condensation agents, sludge coagulants, desiccants, and humidity control agents.

As the super absorbent polymer, various kinds of starch-acrylonitrile graft polymer partially hydrolyzate, polyacrylic acid partially neutralized salt, polyethylene oxide system, polyacrylonitrile system, polyvinyl alcohol system, or cross-linking system thereof are used. Among them, from the viewpoint of quality and performance, among them, (meth) acrylic acid and (meth) acrylic acid water-soluble salt were obtained by reverse phase suspension polymerization in a hydrocarbon solvent. Partially neutralized salts of polyacrylic acid are particularly useful.

When reverse phase suspension polymerization of (meth) acrylic acid and a water-soluble salt of (meth) acrylic acid in a hydrocarbon solvent is carried out in the presence of a surfactant as a dispersion stabilizer. Is normal. As the surfactant for this purpose, sorbitan fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, polyglycerin fatty acid ester, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether, polyoxyethylene acyl ester, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester, oxyethylene-oxypropylene block copolymer is used. The starting surfactants are used.

In the reverse phase suspension polymerization, a water-soluble polymer may coexist with or in place of the surfactant as exemplified above. The purpose of coexistence with the water-soluble polymer is to provide a protective colloid, thickening or grafting, and it is expected that the effects such as improvement of suspension stability and regulation of particle size can be obtained.

[0006] When the reverse phase suspension polymerization of (meth) acrylic acid and the water-soluble salt of (meth) acrylic acid in a hydrocarbon solvent is carried out, coexistence of a water-soluble polymer is disclosed in the following applications. There is something like.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-153907 discloses an HL
It is disclosed that a mixed surfactant of a sorbitan fatty acid ester having a B value in the range of 1 to 8 and a sucrose fatty acid ester having an HLB value in the range of 1 to 6 coexists. , Sorbitan monostearate and sucrose fatty acid ester are coexistent with hydroxyethyl cellulose.

In JP-A-2-196802, a sucrose fatty acid ester and / or a polyglycerin fatty acid ester is used as a dispersant, and in order to adjust the viscosity of a water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer aqueous solution, a hydroxy compound is used. Ethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose,
It is described that a thickener such as methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, polyethylene glycol, polyacrylamide, polyethyleneimine, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylic acid (partial) neutralized product crosslinked product, dextrin, sodium alginate can be used,
In the example, an example in which hydroxyethyl cellulose or sodium polyacrylate is present in the aqueous monomer solution is given.

JP-A-3-195713 discloses that an acrylic acid-based monomer containing (meth) acrylic acid and its salt as a main component is used as a dispersant in the presence of a water-soluble radical polymerization initiator and hydroxyethyl cellulose. HLB3
It has been shown to polymerize by the water-in-oil type reverse phase suspension polymerization method using sorbitan fatty acid ester of ~ 6.

JP-A-56-76419 discloses that an aqueous solution of an alkali metal acrylate containing hydroxyethyl cellulose is dispersed in the presence of a sorbitan fatty acid ester of HLB 3 to 6 and polymerized in the absence of a crosslinking agent. A method of making a water-swellable polymer is shown.

In JP-A-60-36534, sorbitan fatty acid ester, cellulose ether (ethyl cellulose, benzyl cellulose, etc.), cellulose ester (cellulose acetate, cellulose butyrate) is used as a protective colloid for reverse phase suspension polymerization. , Cellulose acetate butyrate, etc.) and polymer dispersants (maleinated polybutadiene, maleated polyethylene, maleated α-olefin, etc.) can be used.

JP-A-63-118308 describes that graft polymerization may be carried out in the presence of a monomer component such as a partially neutralized salt of acrylic acid and starch, cellulose or a derivative thereof, polyvinyl alcohol or the like. There is.

In JP-A-60-186506, in suspension polymerization of an aqueous solution of poly (meth) acrylate in a hydrocarbon or a halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon, oil-soluble cellulose ester or a protective ester is used as a protective colloid. It has been shown to use cellulose ethers.

JP-A-4-120111 and JP-A-4-120112 disclose that a water-soluble monomer is polymerized with a polysaccharide (starch, cellulose) and / or a crosslinking agent. Examples using polysaccharides, including Example 11 (both publications) relating to reverse phase suspension polymerization, are not mentioned.

The highly water-absorbent resin is desired to be porous particles so as to be advantageous in absorbing and retaining water. From this perspective,
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-287604, which is filed by the present applicant, discloses a technique for making porous by azeotropically removing a part of water together with a hydrocarbon solvent during an inverse layer suspension polymerization reaction. It is shown.

[0016]

In the production of superabsorbent resin, if a large amount of fine particles are produced or the particle size distribution is wide, the yield of the target particle size is reduced, and the productivity is lowered. Especially when a large amount of fine particles are generated, it is difficult to smoothly perform various processes such as decantation, filtration, and drying.
Dust is also generated during handling, which is a significant disadvantage in terms of workability.

Also in terms of the performance of the super absorbent polymer, the dispersion of the powder performance becomes large when the particle size distribution is wide. In addition, when the particle size is small, the Mamako phenomenon occurs when it comes into contact with water or body fluid, and when it is used in combination with a material with coarse mesh such as non-woven fabric, the particles may leak from the eyes of the material. It will cause troubles during use.

Therefore, it is strongly desired that generation of fine particles is suppressed during reverse phase suspension polymerization, particles having an appropriate average particle size of about 200 to 350 μm are obtained, and that the particle size distribution at that time is sharp. .

However, although the method disclosed in JP-A-2-153907 has succeeded in increasing the average particle size, it has a relatively wide particle size distribution and a considerable amount of fine particles, so that the target particle size is obtained. However, there is a problem in that the acquisition rate of the product decreases, and processes such as filtration and drying cannot be performed smoothly. The particles obtained in Comparative Example 6 according to an example in which hydroxyethyl cellulose coexisted with sorbitan monostearate and sucrose fatty acid ester had an average particle size of 490 μm, which was too large, and had a tendency to aggregate. There are various problems such as low speed and low water retention capacity.

The method disclosed in JP-A-2-196802 is
Particles with a particle size of about 150 to 550 μm can be obtained, but the allowable range of manufacturing conditions is narrow, and there is a tendency for them to agglomerate due to slight differences in the conditions such as the shape of the stirring blade and reaction vessel, stirring conditions, and the amount dropped. There is a problem that it is difficult to adopt industrially. In addition, in the method of this publication, there is a disadvantage that scaling easily occurs on the wall of the polymerization reactor and the stirring blades, and one of the causes is considered to be the thickener added for viscosity adjustment. .

The method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-195713 is
Although particles of 202 to 355 μm are obtained in the examples, since the particle size distribution is wide, fine particles are also generated in a considerable proportion, and the obtained particles are actually aggregates of small particles and are not classified as primary particles. The particle size itself is small, for example, when it is applied to a disposable diaper, it has a fine particle size of 1 when absorbing urine.
There is a problem that the particles return to the next particles and leak out from the eyes of materials such as nonwoven fabric.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 60-36534 does not describe the particle size of the superabsorbent resin obtained, and it is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 4-1.
Although there is no description in JP-A No. 20111 and JP-A No. 4-120112 about the particle size of the super absorbent polymer obtained by reverse phase suspension polymerization, the particle size is appropriately large and the particle size distribution is sharp in each case. Things are hard to come by. In JP-A-56-76419, the particle size is 10 to 300.
A highly water-absorbent resin of about μm is obtained, and there is a problem that the proportion of fine particles is too large. In JP-A-60-186506, since an oil-soluble cellulose ester or cellulose ether is used and dissolved in the hydrocarbon side, there is a risk of agglomeration due to a slight difference in conditions. Although particles having a median particle diameter of about 100 to 350 μm are obtained, there is a problem that a large proportion of particles having a small particle diameter is large. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-118308, a super absorbent polymer is obtained in small pieces, which are then cut and further pulverized.

Further, in order to obtain a porous super absorbent resin,
The method disclosed in JP-A-3-287604 in which a part of water is azeotropically removed out of the system together with a hydrocarbon solvent during the inverse layer suspension polymerization reaction also produces fine particles or has a small average particle size. Because the particle size distribution is wide,
There was a limit that only a certain degree of effect could be obtained.

The present invention has the following background.
When reverse-phase suspension polymerization of an aqueous solution of a water-soluble unsaturated monomer containing (meth) acrylic acid and a water-soluble salt of (meth) acrylic acid as main components is carried out in a hydrocarbon solvent by reverse phase suspension polymerization, a specific polysaccharide is allowed to coexist and By devising a legal method, scaling to the reactor or stirring blade does not occur during polymerization, the generation of fine particles is suppressed, it has a moderate average particle size and sharp particle size distribution that are easy to handle, It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a highly water-absorbent resin, which is capable of obtaining porous particles that are advantageous for retaining water.

[0025]

The method for producing a superabsorbent resin of the present invention is to crosslink an aqueous solution of a water-soluble unsaturated monomer containing (meth) acrylic acid and a water-soluble salt of (meth) acrylic acid as main components. In producing a superabsorbent polymer by reverse-phase suspension polymerization in a hydrocarbon solvent using a radical polymerization initiator in the presence or absence of an agent, the above-mentioned reverse-phase suspension polymerization is performed using β-1,3. -It is characterized in that it is carried out in the coexistence of glucans, and during the polymerization reaction, a part of water is removed azeotropically with the hydrocarbon solvent out of the system.

The present invention will be described in detail below.

In the present invention, a water-soluble unsaturated monomer containing (meth) acrylic acid and a water-soluble salt of (meth) acrylic acid as main components is used as the monomer. This monomer can be obtained by partially neutralizing (meth) acrylic acid with an alkali metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium carbonate or potassium carbonate, ammonium hydroxide or amines.

The mixing ratio of (meth) acrylic acid and the water-soluble salt of (meth) acrylic acid is 30:70 to 10: 9 by weight.
It is preferably 0. That is, the degree of partial neutralization of (meth) acrylic acid is 70 to 90 of the total (meth) acrylic acid.
Preferably it is mol%. When the degree of partial neutralization is too small, the water absorption capacity and water absorption rate of the resulting superabsorbent resin decreases, and product particles have a difficulty in exhibiting acidity, while when the degree of partial neutralization is too large, After all, the water absorption capacity and the water absorption speed are lowered, and it is difficult for the product particles to be alkaline.

The monomer concentration in the aqueous solution of the water-soluble unsaturated monomer is 5% by weight from the saturated aqueous solution concentration.
It is desirable to set the range to a low concentration. When the monomer concentration is lower than this range, the polymerization reaction tends to be slow and the porosity of the obtained particles tends to be poor.

The cross-linking agent may or may not be present, but it is desirable to use a small amount of cross-linking agent. Examples of the crosslinking agent when the crosslinking agent is used include ethylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, diethylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, triethylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, polyethylene glycol di (meth).
Acrylate, trimethylolpropane tri (meth) acrylate, pentaerythritol di (meth) acrylate, pentaerythritol tri (meth) acrylate, N, N'-methylenebis (meth) acrylamide,
Examples thereof include triallyl isocyanurate, (poly) ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, glycerin polyglycidyl ether, sorbitol polyglycidyl ether and pentaerythritol polyglycidyl ether. The amount of the cross-linking agent used is 0.0001 to the monomer component.
It is often about 0.5% by weight.

Examples of the radical polymerization initiator include azobisisobutyronitrile, t-butyl peroxide, cumene hydroperoxide, di-t-butyl peroxide, acetyl peroxide, lauroyl peroxide, stearoyl peroxide and benzoyl peroxide. Examples include oxide, t-butylperoxyacetate, t-butylperoxyisobutyrate, t-butylperoxypivalate, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, cyclohexanone peroxide, hydrogen peroxide, ammonium persulfate, potassium persulfate, and cerium salt. Those that are water-soluble are particularly preferable. The amount of the radical polymerization initiator used is often about 0.01 to 1% by weight with respect to the monomer component.

As the hydrocarbon solvent, cyclohexane,
Alicyclic hydrocarbons such as cyclopentane and methylcyclohexane, n-pentane, n-hexane, n-heptane, n
Examples thereof include aliphatic hydrocarbons such as oritan and ligroin, aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene, and halogenated hydrocarbons such as chlorobenzene and carbon tetrachloride. Among these, n-hexane and cyclohexane are particularly important in consideration of the boiling point, melting point, cost, and industrial availability of the solvent.

As described above, an aqueous solution of a water-soluble unsaturated monomer containing (meth) acrylic acid and a water-soluble salt of (meth) acrylic acid as a main component is added to a radical polymerization initiator in the presence or absence of a crosslinking agent. Is used for reverse phase suspension polymerization in a hydrocarbon solvent. At this time, it is suitable to set the polymerization temperature to 50 to 90 ° C. and the polymerization time to about 0.5 to 5 hours.

In the present invention, the above-mentioned reverse phase suspension polymerization is carried out in the presence of β-1,3-glucans. This is the first point of the present invention.

Β-1,3-glucans are β-1,3
-Refers to a polysaccharide having a backbone consisting of glucosidic bonds,
Particularly, a branched β-1,3-glucan having a glucose branch having β-1,6-bonded to such a main chain glucose is desirable, and further, one of the β-1,6-bonded glucose is preferable. Those having a sulfur-containing substituent in the part are particularly desirable. Here, as the sulfur-containing substituent, a sulfoacetic acid group is particularly important, and in addition, a sulfonic acid group, a polysulfonic acid group, a cysteine group, a methionine group and the like can be mentioned.

Such β-1,3-glucans are typically obtained by culturing a microorganism belonging to the genus Aureobasidium.
Sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc. are used as a carbon source, sodium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, yeast extract, peptone, etc. are used as a nitrogen source, and magnesium sulfate, an inorganic sulfur source such as iron sulfate is used as a trace factor, and further required. Depending on the use, a medium to which metal ions such as magnesium ions and iron ions and vitamins such as ascorbic acid and pantothenic acid are added is used at 1 to 60 ° C. (preferably 25 to 35 ° C.).
A culture solution is obtained by culturing under aeration conditions for about 10 days, cells are separated from the culture solution by means such as centrifugation and filtration, and a solvent and metal ions are added to the resulting clean solution to cause precipitation. It is then obtained by drying and crushing.

A typical β-1,3-glucan obtained by this method is a branched β-1,3-glucan having a sulfoacetic acid group as a substituent, as shown in the following chemical formula 1. In addition, there are 3 branches of β-1,6-bonded glucose per 4 glucose in the main chain, and 0.1 to 1 of the sulfoacetic acid group-containing substituents are present in the glucose branch.
% By weight.

[0038]

Embedded image

The coexisting amount of β-1,3-glucans in the reverse phase suspension polymerization is 0.001 to 5 relative to the water-soluble unsaturated monomer.
% By weight, preferably 0.002 to 2% by weight, especially 0.0
It is set to 05-1% by weight. When the amount is too small, it is not possible to sufficiently achieve the intended purpose of suppressing the generation of fine particles, obtaining particles having an appropriate average particle diameter, and sharpening the particle size distribution, while the amount is too small. When the amount is large, β-1,3-glucans are not uniformly dispersed or dissolved in the solution, so that the particle size distribution may be broadened.

In addition to the β-1,3-glucans, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, dextrin, sodium alginate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylamide, polyethylene glycol, together with β-1,3-glucans, within the scope of the present invention. The use of other water-soluble polymers such as polyethyleneimine does not cause any problems.

In the reverse phase suspension polymerization, it is usual to coexist with an oil-soluble surfactant having an HLB of 10 or less (preferably 9 or less). Typical examples of such oil-soluble surfactants include sorbitan fatty acid ester (sorbitan monopalmitate, sorbitan monostearate, sorbitan sesquistearate, sorbitan tristearate, etc.), sucrose fatty acid ester (sucrose and stearin). Acid, palmitic acid, lauric acid, mono-, di- or triester with fatty acid such as oleic acid) and the like. This oil-soluble surfactant is dissolved on the hydrocarbon solvent side. The coexisting amount of the oil-soluble surfactant is 5% by weight or less with respect to the water-soluble unsaturated monomer, usually 0.05 to 3% by weight,
Especially, it is often set to 0.1 to 2% by weight. The use of oil-soluble surfactants is advantageous in preventing particle size reduction or agglomeration.

In the present invention, the above β-1,3
-In reverse phase suspension polymerization in the coexistence of glucans, a part of water is azeotropically removed out of the system together with a hydrocarbon solvent during the polymerization reaction. This is the second point of the present invention.

In the inverse layer suspension polymerization, a hydrocarbon solvent is charged with an aqueous solution of a water-soluble unsaturated monomer containing β-1,3-glucans and a radical polymerization initiator. The hydrocarbon solvent and the aqueous solution at this time are charged. And the ratio by weight is 1
It is often 0: 1 to 1: 1 and preferably 5: 1 to 2: 1.

The method of charging the aqueous solution at this time may be batch charging, intermittent charging, or continuous charging. However, intermittent charging or continuous charging is performed, and during this charging, a part of the water is hydrocarbon. Azeotropic removal with the solvent to the outside of the system is particularly preferable because the heat of polymerization is uniformly generated and the polymerization reaction can be kept stable. In this case, when the azeotropic removal of water during charging is too small, it becomes negative for the porosity, while when the azeotropic removal of water during charging is too large, it becomes negative for the dispersibility of particles during polymerization, Be careful.

After completion of the polymerization, decantation, filtration,
The produced particles are separated by centrifugation or the like, and then washed and dried. Thereby, the generation of fine particles is suppressed, and a highly water-absorbent resin having an appropriate particle size (about 200 to 350 μm) and a sharp particle size distribution and having a porous shape is obtained. Moreover, in the present invention in which β-1,3-glucans are allowed to coexist, scaling does not easily occur in the reactor and the stirring blade during polymerization.

The superabsorbent resin obtained by the method of the present invention is particularly useful as a body fluid absorbent for absorbing body fluids and excretions and preventing leakage in sanitary products and sanitary products. In addition, soil water retention agent, seed coating agent, water blocking agent, thickening agent, dew condensation preventive agent, dehydrating agent, desiccant, humidity control agent, coagulant for sludge and liquid waste, heavy metal adsorbent, drug, aromatic agent It can also be used for applications such as sustained-release preparations and poultices.

[0047]

In the present invention, the reverse phase suspension polymerization of an aqueous solution of a water-soluble unsaturated monomer is devised so as to be carried out in the coexistence of β-1,3-glucans (or an oil-soluble surfactant thereof). In addition, it is difficult to cause scaling in a reactor or a stirring blade during polymerization, generation of fine particles is suppressed, and a highly water-absorbent resin having a moderate average particle size (about 200 to 350 μm) and a sharp particle size distribution that is easy to handle is obtained. Since the obtained particles have a porous shape, they have excellent water absorption / water retention performance and facilitate granulation as needed.
This is because, in the system of high-viscosity partially neutralized salt of (meth) acrylic acid, the thickening effect is diminished by the usual water-soluble polymer, while the presence of β-1,3-glucans. It is considered that one reason is that the high viscosity is maintained in the system.

[0048]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be further described with reference to examples. Hereinafter, "%" means% by weight.

Example 1 <Production of β-1,3-glucans> Aureobasidium sp. K-1 which is a microorganism belonging to the genus Aureobasidium
(FERM P-12989) was added to Czapek medium (sucrose 3
%, Sodium nitrate 0.2%, potassium phosphate 0.1%, potassium chloride 0.05%, magnesium sulfate heptahydrate 0.05
%, Ferrous sulfate heptahydrate (0.001%) at 27 ° C for 48 hours with shaking, as the inoculum, under the conditions of a temperature of 27 ° C with a jar fermenter, a stirring rate of 300 rpm, and an aeration rate of 50 liters / min. It was cultured for 96 hours.

Then, the cells were separated and removed from the culture-completed solution by filtration, and 1.2 volumes of isopropanol was gradually added to the obtained filtrate with vigorous stirring. The precipitated polysaccharide fibers were collected, immersed in an acetone bath, washed, dehydrated, and dried at 70 ° C. Such fibers were pulverized with a feather shoe to be powdered to obtain a polysaccharide.

Analysis of this polysaccharide by a conventional method (Science and Industry, 64 (3), 131-135 (1990), Agricultura
l & Biological Chemistry, 47 (6), 1167-1172 (1983)
This is a polysaccharide having the structure of the above-mentioned chemical formula 1, that is, a branched β having a sulfoacetic acid group as a substituent.
It was confirmed to be -1,3-glucan. The total number of glucose units in one molecule was about 1500, and the total sulfur content was 0.05%.

<Reverse Phase Suspension Polymerization> Next, a polyacrylic acid partially neutralized salt superabsorbent resin was produced by the reverse phase suspension polymerization method described in detail below.

In a 2 liter separable flask A equipped with a stirrer, a reflux condenser and a nitrogen gas inlet tube, 800 g of cyclohexane and 0.8 g of sorbitan monostearate.
And 0.8 g of sucrose fatty acid ester ("DK Ester F-70" manufactured by Dai-ichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd.) was charged and nitrogen bubbling was performed for 30 minutes to expel the dissolved air and the air in the flask.

260 g of an 80% aqueous solution of acrylic acid was charged into another separable flask B, and 310 g of a 28% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide was gradually added dropwise under cooling to neutralize. The concentration of the aqueous monomer solution thus obtained is 45%
And was almost saturated. Then, 0.5% N, N
′ -Methylenebisacrylamide aqueous solution (8 g) and branched β-1,3-glucan having the sulfoacetic acid group as a substituent (0.3 g, approximately 0.1% based on the monomer) were added,
Dissolved. After dissolution, 10% ammonium persulfate aqueous solution 4
g was added, and nitrogen bubbling was carried out with stirring to expel the dissolved air.

After the flask A was heated to 73 ° C., the rotation speed was set to 350 rpm, the solution in the flask B was dropped for 3 hours, and the warm water in the jacket was kept at 95 ° C. at the same time as the start of dropping, Azeotropically cyclohexane and water,
After the completion of polymerization, azeotropic dehydration is performed to give a total of 230
ml water was expelled (resin water content is about 24% on wet resin basis). Then, after cooling, filtration was performed with a suction filter. The produced particles were dried at a temperature of 105 ° C. for 3 hours to obtain the target super absorbent polymer particles. Almost no scaling was observed on the flask wall and the stirring blade used for the polymerization.

<Characteristics of super absorbent polymer> The average particle diameter of the particles is 310 μm, and the ratio of fine particles of 105 μm or less is 3.6.
%, Water absorption capacity is 900 g / g for pure water, 72% for 0.9% saline solution.
The water absorption rate of g / g, 0.9% saline was 45 seconds, and it was confirmed by microscopic observation that it was porous.

In the above and the following, the average particle size is a particle size determined based on the mesh size when 50% of the particles are passed through a standard sieve. The water absorption speed is measured according to the vortex method using 50 g of 0.9% saline. The water absorption capacity of 0.9% saline solution is 0.9
Particles in a 100 ml beaker containing 100% saline
Add 0.2 g and leave it at room temperature for 20 minutes, then add 2 pieces of swollen gel.
It was obtained by measuring the weight of the swollen gel after draining with a 00 mesh wire mesh for 20 minutes and draining.

Example 2 Except that the amount of the branched β-1,3-glucan having a sulfoacetic acid group as a substituent was 1/10 of that in Example 1, 0.03 g (approximately 0.01% based on the monomer). Example 1 was repeated. Almost no scaling was observed on the flask wall and the stirring blade. The average particle size of the resulting super absorbent polymer particles is 230 μm, and the ratio of fine particles of 105 μm or less is
The water absorption capacity was 7.5%, the pure water was 920 g / g, the 0.9% saline solution was 73 g / g, the water absorption rate of 0.9% saline solution was 43 seconds, and it was confirmed that it was porous.

Comparative Example 1 Example 1 was repeated except that the addition amount of branched β-1,3-glucan having a sulfoacetic acid group as a substituent was omitted. The average particle size of the resulting super absorbent polymer particles was 170 μm, 10
The proportion of fine particles of 5 μm or less was 17.9%, and the water absorption capacity was 920 g / g for pure water, 73 g / g for 0.9% saline, and the water absorption rate for 0.9% saline was 35 seconds. The obtained particles were porous, but the degree of porosity was smaller than that of the particles obtained in Example 1.

Comparative Example 2 Example 1 was repeated except that 0.3 g of hydroxyethyl cellulose was added in place of the branched β-1,3-glucan having a sulfoacetic acid group as a substituent. At this time, some scaling was observed on the flask wall and the stirring blade. The average particle diameter of the resulting super absorbent polymer particles was 182 μm, 10
The proportion of fine particles of 5 μm or less was 16.1%, and the water absorption capacity was 900 g / g of pure water, 72 g / g of 0.9% saline, and the water absorption rate of 0.9% saline was 36 seconds. The particles obtained were porous, but the degree of porosity was less than that of the particles obtained in Examples 1 and 2.

Comparative Example 3 By repeating the procedure of Comparative Example 2 except that the amount of hydroxyethyl cellulose added was changed to 1.5 g, superabsorbent resin particles having substantially the same properties as those of Comparative Example 2 were obtained. And the scaling to the stirring blade was significant.

Comparative Example 4 Example 1 was repeated except that 0.3 g of sodium polyacrylate was added instead of the branched β-1,3-glucan having a sulfoacetic acid group as a substituent. The average particle size of the obtained super absorbent polymer particles is 175 μm, the ratio of fine particles of 105 μm or less is 16.9%, and the water absorption capacity is 920 g / g of pure water and 0.9%.
The water absorption rate of the salt solution was 71 g / g and 0.9% saline solution was 33 seconds. The particles obtained were porous, but the degree of porosity was less than that of the particles obtained in Examples 1 and 2.

Comparative Example 5 Example 1 was repeated except that 0.3 g of carboxymethyl cellulose was added instead of the branched β-1,3-glucan having a sulfoacetic acid group as a substituent. The average particle size of the resulting super absorbent resin particles is 170 μm, the ratio of fine particles of 105 μm or less is 18.4%, and the water absorption capacity is 900 g / g of pure water, 0.9
The water absorption rate was 71 g / g in 0.9% saline and 33 seconds in 0.9% saline. The particles obtained were porous, but Example 1
The degree of porosity was smaller than that of the particles obtained in and 2.

[0064]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY In the present invention, reverse phase suspension polymerization of a water-soluble unsaturated monomer is carried out in the coexistence of β-1,3-glucans (or oil-soluble surfactants with β-1,3-glucans) and polymerization reaction is carried out. Since a part of water was azeotropically removed out of the system together with the hydrocarbon solvent, scaling did not occur in the reactor and stirring blade during polymerization, the generation of fine particles was suppressed, and a moderate average particle size that was easy to handle It has a diameter (about 200-350 μm) and a sharp flow distribution, and also absorbs water.
Porous highly water-absorbent resin particles advantageous for water retention can be stably produced.

Therefore, the yield of the target particle size is increased and the productivity is improved, and various processes such as decantation, filtration, and drying can be smoothly performed, and the generation of dust during handling is small, and the work can be performed. The property becomes good. Further, the obtained particles do not cause a mamako phenomenon when they come into contact with water or body fluid, and do not cause troubles such as leakage even when they are used in combination with a rough material such as a nonwoven fabric.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An aqueous solution of a water-soluble unsaturated monomer containing (meth) acrylic acid and a water-soluble salt of (meth) acrylic acid as main components in the presence or absence of a crosslinking agent using a radical polymerization initiator. In producing a superabsorbent resin by reverse-phase suspension polymerization in a hydrocarbon solvent, the reverse-phase suspension polymerization is performed in the presence of β-1,3-glucans, and water is added during the polymerization reaction. A process for producing a highly water-absorbent resin, which comprises azeotropically removing a part of the solvent together with a hydrocarbon solvent. 2. When carrying out inverse layer suspension polymerization while intermittently or continuously charging an aqueous solution of a water-soluble unsaturated monomer containing β-1,3-glucans and a radical polymerization initiator in the hydrocarbon solvent, The method according to claim 1, wherein a part of the water is removed azeotropically with the hydrocarbon solvent out of the system while the aqueous solution is being charged. 3. A monomer concentration in an aqueous solution of a water-soluble unsaturated monomer is 5% by weight from the saturated aqueous solution concentration.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the concentration is set to a small range. 4. β-1,3-glucans are β-1,3-glucans.
Β-1,6 is added to the main chain glucose composed of glucoside bonds.
The production according to claim 1 or 2, which is a branched β-1,3-glucan having a branch of bound glucose, wherein the β-1,6-linked glucose has a sulfur-containing substituent in a part thereof. Law. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the sulfur-containing substituent is a sulfoacetic acid group. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coexisting amount of β-1,3-glucans is 0.001 to 5% by weight based on the water-soluble unsaturated monomer. 7. The reverse phase suspension polymerization is carried out in the coexistence of 5% by weight or less of an HLB of 10 or less and an oil-soluble surfactant with respect to the water-soluble unsaturated monomer. Manufacturing method.