US 12,104,021 B2
Recycling of superabsorbent fibers with an extensional flow device
Juliane Kamphus, Schwalbach am Taunus (DE); Bruno Johannes Ehrnsperger, Bad Soden (DE); Arsen Arsenov Simonyan, Schwalbach am Taunus (DE); Dimitris Ioannis Collias, Mason, OH (US); John Andrew McDaniel, West Chester, OH (US); Martin Ian James, Hamilton, OH (US); Gary Wayne Gilbertson, Liberty Township, OH (US); Jacqueline Besinaiz Thomas, Oregonia, OH (US); and Yiping Sun, Mason, OH (US)
Assigned to The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH (US)
Filed by The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH (US)
Filed on Feb. 3, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/591,650.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/151,865, filed on Feb. 22, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0267560 A1, Aug. 25, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C08J 11/16 (2006.01)
CPC C08J 11/16 (2013.01) [C08J 2333/08 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
 
1. A method for degrading superabsorbent fibers (SAF) to soluble polymers, wherein the soluble polymers comprise from 5 weight-% to 75 weight-% of polymerized acrylic acid monomer units based on the total weight of the soluble polymers, the method comprising:
flowing a feed stream comprising the SAF into an inlet of an extensional flow device and producing a product stream comprising the soluble polymers at an outlet of the extensional flow device; wherein the feed stream comprises the SAF at a concentration greater than about 1 wt %; wherein the feed stream has a residence time in the extensional flow device of less than about 120 s; and wherein the degradation of the SAF to the soluble polymers requires a total energy of less than about 50 MJ/kg SAF.