	US 12,152,112 B2
	Degradation of superabsorbent fibers via oxidative degradation
Juliane Kamphus, Schwalbach am Taunus (DE); Bruno Johannes Ehrnsperger, Bad Soden (DE); Arsen Arsenov Simonyan, Schwalbach am Taunus (DE); Natasa Dijakov, Schwalbach am Taunus (DE); Saskia Kraemer, Hessen (DE); 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. 17/591,646.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/151,859, filed on Feb. 22, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0267559 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)]

20 Claims

1. A method for degrading crosslinked superabsorbent fibers (SAF) into 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 the steps of:

a) providing SAF,

b) providing an oxidative water-soluble salt comprising at least one cation and at least one anion,

c) providing an aqueous carrier,

d) mixing the SAF with the oxidative water-soluble salt and the aqueous carrier, and

e) heating the mixture to a temperature of from 30° C. to 200° C. to degrade the SAF into soluble polymers.