Title of Invention

A FIBROUS CONTAINER WITH A SWELLABLE POLYMERIC MATERIAL

Abstract The present invention relates to a fibrous container with a swellable polymeric material comprising a copolymer of acrylic acid, sodium acrylate and acrylamide in a porous macromolecular form, wherein the ingredients are present in the undernoted amounts : i) acrylic acid - between 70 and 85% by wt,, ii) sodium acrylate - between 10 and 25% by wt., iii) acrylamide - between 0.5 and 3% by wt. and iv) water - q.v., the said copolymer being capable of absorbing water or like fluid material in their interstices resulting in a fluid - filled product 300-500 times larger in mass in comparison with the original copolymer.
Full Text The present invention relates to a fibrous container
with swellable polymeric materials. More particularly this
invention pertains to bags, usually jute bags having polymeric
lining, containing the swellable inflatable chemical(s), which
swells in about 3-5 mins time assuming the shape of a pillow and
preventing ingress or egress of water or the like solvent(s).
Such inflatable chemical comprises essentially of a copolymer of
acrylic acid, an alkalimetal salt of the free acid and a minor
amount of acrylamide, with a trace of water. The last named
chemical, namely, acrylamide, imparts a few mechanical advantages
without materially influencing fluid absortion characteristics.
"Copolymers of sodium acrylate and acrylamide have
been reported earlier, for instance in US Patent No.5,044,439
dated September 3, 1991 granted to Lawrence M. Cenegy, et al.
However, such copolymers were used for inhibiting building of
calcarious scale in geothermal wells, i.e. they substantially
retarded/prevented formation of CaCO deposits on the well walls.
Use of acrylic copolymers for the purpose of obtaining
swellable objects has not been known earlier, not has the terpolymer
been reported with a molecular weight range of around 300000."
In the conventional mode of bolstering or strengthening
river banks or embankments, sand bags are used extensively. Such
bags have also been used to prevent/stop excess water flow during
heavy monsoon or to prevent flood water from breaching the banks.
Sand bags also find use in combating the problem of erosion of
river banks, particularly where the river tends to change its
course, along with boulders and/or large pieces of stone. A
modified technique by deploying sandbags in cage-like structure
built of corrosion and saline water-resistant polymeric material
has recently been used for the purpose of reclaiming land from
sea bed.
All the above uses of sand bags suffer from two inherent
disadvantages -
(i) Sand bags incur two-fold costs, namely, cost of bags
and cost of sand, and
(ii) labour charges for filling sand in bags.
When used in strengthening river banks or embankments,
reaction of water with jute fiber with time causes the fiber to
lose strength and burst, thereby spilling sand into river beds.
Such release of sand over a prolonged period of time is likely to
result in loss of draft and enhance the possibility of flooding
during monsoon of the adjoining areas leading to destruction of
crop area and loss of life.
The present invention aims at overcoming the
disadvantages and shortcomings associated with the use of sand
bags mainly for preventing or/and stopping excess water flow.
The principal object of this invention is to provide a
fibrous container with a swellable polymeric material which
sewlls to a mass 300-500 times heavier than the amount initially
present after coming in contact with water or like fluid material.
A further object of this invention is to provide a
container made of natural fiber like jute, or synthetic material
like nylon, poly propylene fabric with or without an inner-lining
of a material selected from cotton, jute, nylon, polyester and
the like fabric.
A still, further object of this invention is to provide
a container which is a rectangular, square or cylindrical hottow
bag or varying capacities.
Another object of this invention is to provide a container
wherein the swellabie, absorbent polymeric material is either
kept as such or in a small paper bag inside the container which
swells by coming in contact with water.
The foregoing objects are achieved in accordance with
the present invention which relates to a fibrous container with
a swellable polymeric material comprising a copolymer of acrylic
acid, sodium acrylate and acrylamide in a porous macromolecular
form, wherein the ingredients are present in the undernoted
amounts :
i) acrylic acid - between 70 and 85% by wt.,
ii) sodium acrylate - between 10 and 25% by wt.,
iii) acrylamide - between 0.5 and 3% by wt. and
iv) water - q.v.,
the said copolymer being capable of absorbing water or like fluid
material in their interstices resulting in a fluid - filled
product 300-500 times larger in mass in comparison with the
original copolymer.
As mentioned earlier the containers for holding swellable
polymeric material is usually made of porous natural fabric like
jute or hemp, the only consideration being that it must allow
ingress of fluid material like water to make the polymer swell
and there should be excess of fluid material like water. The
reaction is quite rapid, and absorption of water and consequent
swelling is complete in around 3-5 minutes' time.
The swellable absorbent polymeric material used in
this invention is a macromolecular copolymer of acrylic acid,
sodium acrylate and acrylamide present in an amount of around
95%, balance being around 5% by weight of water. It has been
observed that absorbing characteristics of the copolymer are not
materially affected even in the absence of acrylamide, in the
event of which acrylic acid content may go up to around 90% by
weight.
The containers are usually jute bags, polypropylene or
nylon bags, which may optimally be lined with cotton, jute,
nylon, or the like porous fabric, without impeding ingress of
water. A small quantity of the swellable, absorbent polymer is
kept inside the bag, either in the form of a block or in the form
of a strip, and the bag gets inflated to about 300-500 times
after absorbing enough water, turning into a hard pillow-like
structure. Such inflated bags can be used in river banks, exterior
areas of godowns, factories, educational institutions, residential
areas, etc., to prevent entry/seepage of storm water, flood water
or any other form of water, even from overflowing surface drains.
In a nutshell, the swollen bags can effectively be used anywhere
for domestic, civil and also industrial purposes, mainly to
prevent ingress or egress of water. It can also be used in oil
fields, coal mines and the like sites to absorb water quickly.
The swellable copolymer of acrylic acid, sodium acrylate
and acrylamide is required to be used in small amounts of, say,
400 gms-450 gms, which gets inflated to around 18-20 kg. mass
after coming into contact with water within a span of 3 to 5
minutes' time. From these figures it may be seen that the containers
with their content are quite light weight, roughly about l/50th
of the weight of an equivalent container filled with sand. As the
bags with the swellable material contain no particular matter
like sand, fly ash, etc., there is hardly any risk of deposition
of such swellable materials into the water bodies where they are
likely to be used. Moreover, there is no need to use an important
construstion material like sand, nor any labour cost is involved
in filling the containers with the contents. The swellable
copolymer is completely neutral, non-toxic and poses no harm to
the aquatic flora and fauna or to the marine lives. In addition,
the copolymer is bio-degradable and is eco-friendly. As indicated
earlier, apart from being used to bolster the banks of water-
bodies like river or lake embankments to prevent flood damage,
the subject copolymer of this invention may be effectively used
to keep water out of sub-ways, underground facilities like parking
lot, roads, highways, bridges, construction sites, etc., by
ensuring quick absorption of water.
The present invention will be further amplified by
means of the following example which is given by way of illustration
and not by way of limitation.
Example
The swellable copolymer formed by interaction between
acrylic acid, sodium acrylate and acrylamide following standard
synthetic procedure may be structurally represented by the following
empirical formula -

m, n and p being integers indicative of the molecular weight of
the copolymer, for which acrylic acid, acrylamide, sodium or
potassium bicarbonate and water are the principal reactive
components. In preparing the above copolymer it has been noted
that acrylamide serves a dual role as a reaction component and
also as a catalyst for the reaction with the sodio-or potassium
ester.
The optimum molecular weight is around 300000, which
retains porosity and interstices for water molecules to be
accomodated. The product is mainly transparent in appearance,
with the following features, including the dimensions of the
containers or bags in which the copolymer is kept for absorption
of water and consequent swelling :
i) Size - 600mm(l) X 400mm(w) X 80mm(h) - before swelling
550mm(l) X 350mm(w) X 150ram(h) - after swelling
ii) Weight - 420g ± 5% - before swelling
20Kg ± 5% - after swelling
iii) Time taken for absorption of water followed by
swelling - 3 to 5 mins (Water at 20ºC)
iv) Particle size of the copolymeric product - 20-60 mesh
v) Moisture content - vi} Consistency - jelly-like.
vii) pH - 6-8
viii) Decomposition temperature - around 300°C
ix) Impact resistance after swelling/inflation - 150 Kg.
x) Physical characteristics - Colourless, odourless,
tasteless, non-toxic, non-inflammable.
xi) Shelf life - Around 4 years.
Advantages :
1. The material is cost-effective, as it saves both cost
of sand and labour cost for filling the bags.
2. It is extremely light weight, and is convenient to
distribute or transfer.
3. It requires only a small space for storing.
4. It is completely non-toxic, substantially bio-degradable
and eco-friendly.
While the invention has been described in detail and
with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent
to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications
can be made therein without deviating or departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention. Thus the disclosure contained
herein includes within its ambit the obvious equivalents and
substitutes as well.
Having described the invention in detail with particular
reference to the illustrative examples given above, it will now
be more specifically defined by means of claims appended hereafter.
We claim :
1. A fibrous container with a swellable polymeric material
comprising a copolymer of acrylic acid, sodium acrylate and
acrylamide in a porous macromolecular form, wherein the ingredients
are present in the undernoted amounts :
i) acrylic acid - between 70 and 85% by wt.,
ii) sodium acryiate - between 10 and 25% by wt.,
iii) acrylamide - between 0.5 and 3% by wt. and
iv) water - q.v.,
the said copolymer being capable of absorbing water or like fluid
material in their interstices resulting in a fluid - filled
product 300-500 times larger in mass in comparison with the
original copolymer.
2. A container as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the ingredients
forming said copolymer are present in the following amounts :
i) acrylic acid - 75% by wt.,
ii) sodium acryiate - 20% by wt.,
iii) acrylamide - 3% by wt. and
iv) water - 2% by wt.
3. A container as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the body of
the container is made of jute fiber, polypropylene, fabric with
or without a inner-lining of a material selected from cotton,
jute, nylon, polyester and the like fabric.
4. A container as claimed in Claims 1 and 3, wherein the
said container is a rectangular, square or cylindrical hollow bag
of various capacities.
5. A container as claimed in Claims 1 to 4, wherein the
swellable, absorbent polymeric material is kept either as such or
in a small paper bag inside the container which is allowe;d to
swell by coming in contact with water.
6. A container as claimed in Claims 1 to 5, wherein around
60 gms of polymeric body is kept inside a bag of 600 X 400 mm size
which assumes a pillow-like structure after coming in contact
with water.
7. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding
claims, wherein a mass of around 400-420g of said copolymer is
placed inside the said container which swells to around 18-20 Kg
by absorbing water over a period of 3 to 5 minutes.
8. A fibrous container with a swellable polymeric material,
substantially as hereinbefore described with particular reference
to the illustrative Example given hereinbefore.

The present invention relates to a fibrous container
with a swellable polymeric material comprising a copolymer of
acrylic acid, sodium acrylate and acrylamide in a porous
macromolecular form, wherein the ingredients are present in the
undernoted amounts :
i) acrylic acid - between 70 and 85% by wt,,
ii) sodium acrylate - between 10 and 25% by wt.,
iii) acrylamide - between 0.5 and 3% by wt. and
iv) water - q.v.,
the said copolymer being capable of absorbing water or like fluid
material in their interstices resulting in a fluid - filled
product 300-500 times larger in mass in comparison with the
original copolymer.

Documents:

01359-kol-2006 abstract.pdf

01359-kol-2006 claims.pdf

01359-kol-2006 correspondence others.pdf

01359-kol-2006 description(complete).pdf

01359-kol-2006 form-1.pdf

01359-kol-2006 form-2.pdf

01359-kol-2006 form-3.pdf

01359-kol-2006 form-5.pdf

01359-kol-2006 power of authority.pdf

01359-kol-2006-correspondence 1.3.pdf

01359-kol-2006-correspondence-1.1.pdf

01359-kol-2006-correspondence-1.2.pdf

01359-kol-2006-form-18.pdf

01359-kol-2006-form-9.pdf

1359-KOL-2006-(08-02-2012)-FORM 27.pdf

1359-KOL-2006-FORM 27.pdf

1359-kol-2006-granted-abstract.pdf

1359-kol-2006-granted-claims.pdf

1359-kol-2006-granted-correspondence.pdf

1359-kol-2006-granted-description (complete).pdf

1359-kol-2006-granted-examination report.pdf

1359-kol-2006-granted-form 1.pdf

1359-kol-2006-granted-form 18.pdf

1359-kol-2006-granted-form 2.pdf

1359-kol-2006-granted-form 3.pdf

1359-kol-2006-granted-form 5.pdf

1359-kol-2006-granted-pa.pdf

1359-kol-2006-granted-reply to examination report.pdf

1359-kol-2006-granted-specification.pdf

1359-KOL-2006-REPLY TO EXAMINATION REPORT 1.1.pdf

1359-KOL-2006-REPLY TO EXAMINATION REPORT.pdf

1359-KOL-2006-REPLY TO EXAMINATION REPORT.tif.tif

1359-KOL-2006_ABSTRACT 1.1.pdf

1359-KOL-2006_CANCEL DOCUMENT.pdf

1359-KOL-2006_CLAIMS 1.1.pdf

1359-KOL-2006_CORRESPONDENCE 1.4.pdf

1359-KOL-2006_DESCRIPTION COMPLETE 1.1.pdf

1359-KOL-2006_FORM 1 1.1.pdf

1359-KOL-2006_FORM 2 1.1.pdf


Patent Number 233748
Indian Patent Application Number 1359/KOL/2006
PG Journal Number 16/2009
Publication Date 17-Apr-2009
Grant Date 06-Apr-2009
Date of Filing 15-Dec-2006
Name of Patentee INDARSEN SHAMLAL PVT. LTD.
Applicant Address 27, SARAT BOSE ROAD, 2ND FLOOR, KOLKATA
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 BISHWANATH AGARWALA 27, SARAT BOSE ROAD, 2ND FLOOR, KOLKATA - 700020
2 ABHISHEK AGARWAL 27, SARAT BOSE ROAD, 2ND FLOOR, KOLKATA - 700020
PCT International Classification Number B64
PCT International Application Number N/A
PCT International Filing date
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 NA