Preparation of Super Absorbent Polymer by Carboxymethyl Cellulose Grafting Acrylic Acid Using Low-Temperature Plasma Treatment

Abstract

Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) made from bagasse pulp was treated by low-temperature plasma, then reacted grafting polymerization with acrylic acid (AA) to produce super absorbent polymer. The effects of discharge power, plasma treatment time, initiator dosage, acrylic acid dosage, vacuum degree and neutralization ratio on water absorbency and grafting reaction time of the products were studied by single factor experiments. The best process parameters: discharge power = 250 W; plasma treatment time = 90s; m (K2S2O8) : m (CMC) (W/W) = 7:20; m (AA) : m (CMC) (W/W) = (1:9) ~ (1:8); vacuum degree = 300 Pa; neutralization degree = 40%, in which the distilled water absorbency of the product reached its maximum of 509 g/g and the grafting reaction time approached its minimum of 2min. This process has the advantages of simple operation, easy control, high grafting efficiency, short production cycle, low cost and so on, which meet the industrial production requirements of super absorbent polymer.