Synthesis of polycarboxylate superplasticizers using an acrylic acid-rich wastewater from acrolein production

In this paper, an acrylic acid-rich wastewater from the production of propylene to acrolein was used to synthesize the polycarboxylate superplasticizers. First, the acrylic acid-rich wastewater was oxidized. Then, two kinds of unsaturated polyether macromonomers {methallyl polyethylene glycol (HPEG) and isoprenol polyethylene glycol (IPEG)} and the oxidized wastewater were copolymerized with it, respectively, by free radical polymerization in aqueous solution. The monomer conversion, molecular weight, molecular weight distribution of the copolymers of gel permeation chromatography (GPC) were characterized. The performance of the two copolymers was characterized by measuring paste flow, adsorption using GPC method, and the applied behavior of premixed concrete. The results showed that the synthesized copolymers could meet the requirement of application in contrast to the commodity product.