Preparation of strach‐graft‐polyacrylamide copolymers by reactive extrusion

Abstract

AbstractGraft copolymers of starch and polyacrylamide (PAAm) were prepared by reactive extrusion using a co‐rotating twin‐screw extruder and ammonium presulfate initiator. Feed rates were 109 g/min to 325 g/min (all components) at a moisture content of 50%, with screw speeds in the range 100 rpm to 300 rpm. Starch/acrylamide weight ratios ranged from 5:1 to 1.3:1. Conversions of acrylamide to PAAm were generally 80% or greater with residence times of 400 seconds or less. Conversion increased with feed rate, suggesting that reaction efficiency was proportional to the degree of fill in the extruder. Grafting efficiencies were in the range of 50% to 80%. PAAm molecular weight increased with increasing acrylamide content, consistent with free radical polymerization kinetics. Extrusion temperature had no significant impact on acrylamide conversion. Graft frequency, as measured by the number of anhydroglucose units per graft, was essentially constant over the starch: acrylamide ratio and temperature range studied. These results show that reactive extrusion offers the potential for rapid production of starch graft copolymers with unsaturated monomers.