Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – Polymers from only ethylenic monomers or processes of...
Patent
1995-08-23
1998-11-03
Yoon, Tae
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
Polymers from only ethylenic monomers or processes of...
526271, 5263184, 526328, 525 60, 524557, 524803, 510108, 510367, 528489, C08F22004, C08F22200, C08L 2904, C11D 337
Patent
active
058309560
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to water-soluble biodegradable copolymers based on unsaturated mono- and dicarboxylic acids and vinyl esters or vinyl ethers. The present invention further relates to a process for the production of said copolymers and to their use in detergents and cleaning agents, in the inhibition of water hardness, as dispersing agents, as well as in the manufacture, finishing and/or dyeing of textile fibers and textiles.
Since ecological considerations have come to the fore within the last years, many of the efforts to develop new polymers have focussed on the biodegradability thereof. In particular, products whose application and disposal is effected in aqueous systems have been of interest. In some fields, for example, the papermaking industry, degradable polymers such as starches have been used as binders more frequently; in other fields graft polymers of reproductive resources, such as starch or sugar, and of synthetic monomers have been developed. However, for many applications there are relatively high technical requirements, and the products based on reproducible raw materials are not able to meet these standards to the degree the purely synthetic polymers used until today do. An example thereof is the use of the polycarboxylates in mixed sizes for textile fibers; here a mixture of starch and polycarboxylate is frequently used as a compromise between degradability and sizing properties.
Another important field of application for water-soluble polymers is the use in detergents and cleaning agents.
During the last years, the development on this sector has been determined by the use of polyphosphate components which--as is generally known--result in overfertilization of the waters and, consequently, in the problems known as "eutrophication".
In addition to the primary cleaning effect, polyphosphates have a favorable secondary detergent behavior; they remove alkaline-earth metal ions from the washings, textiles and dirt, prevent precipitations of insoluble alkaline-earth metal salts on the textiles, and maintain the dirt in the washing liquor in disperse condition. In this manner incrustations and redepositions are suppressed even after several wash cycles. Due to their good binding capacity for alkaline-earth ions and their excellent dispersing and soil-carrying capacity, polycarboxylates such as polyacrylic acids and acrylic acid/maleic acid copolymers currently dominate the market as substitutes for polyphosphates. The latter property is achieved in a particularly easy manner by using acrylic acid/maleic (1987) 4!. The problem of eutrophication has been answered with the use of polycarboxylates. However, these synthetic polymers must be regarded as being substantially inert towards degradation processes. Because of the already existing and the coming increasing spread of said polymers, the question "what happens with them in the ecosystem" arises. Examinations to this respect showed that about 90% of the polycarboxylates are adsorbed to and disposed by the sewage sludge, i.e. by deposition, agricultural utilization or combustion. Biological degradation takes place to a very limited extent, the cited degradation rates amounting to between 1 and 10%. The statements to this respect can be found in the publications of J. Lester et al. "The partitioning of polycarboxylic acids in activated sludge", Chemosphere, Vol. 21, Nos. 4-5, pp 443-450 (1990), H. Schumann "Elimination von .sup.14 C-markierten Polyelektrolyten in biologischen Abwasserreinigungsprozessen, Wasser.cndot.Abwasser (1991), pp 376-383, P. Berth "Moglichkeiten und Grenzen des Ersatzes von Phosphaten in Waschmitteln", Angewandte Chemie (1975), pp 115-142.
For this reason, introducing large amounts of non-degradable compounds in the environment is critical from the ecological point of view. To solve this problem, the use of biodegradable polymers, i.e., those demineralizable to carbon dioxide and water seems to be obvious.
The production of a biodegradable polycarboxylate polymer based on glyoxylic acid esters is known from U.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3887480 (1975-06-01), Rue et al.
patent: 4725655 (1988-02-01), Denzinger et al.
patent: 5191048 (1993-03-01), Swift et al.
patent: 5264510 (1993-11-01), Swift et al.
Klimmek Helmut
Krause Frank
Stockhausen Dolf
Chemische Fabrik Stockhausen GmbH
Yoon Tae
LandOfFree
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