Polymerization to produce friable aggregates of individual spheres of polyvinyl chloride

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING AGGREGATES OF INDIVIDUAL SPHERES OF POLYVINYL CHLORIDE COMPRISING (1) PREPARING AN AQUEOUS DISPERSION CONSISTING OF VINYL CHLORIDE MONOMER, AND AN AQUEOUS PHASE CONSISTING OF (A) FROM 1 TO 4 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF WATER PER PART OF SAID MONOMER, (B) A WATER SOLUBLE FREE RADICAL POLYMERIZATION CATALYST, AND (C) FROM 0.05 TO 15 PERCENT OF THE WEIGHT OF THE VINYL CHLORIDE OF A WATER-DISPERSBLE, LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT, NON-MICELLEFORMING, ORGANIC AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ETHYLENE DIAMINE TETRAACETIC ACID, AMMONIUM SALT OF ETHYLENE DIAMINE TETRAACETIC ACID, NITRILO TRIACETIC ACID, SUCROSE, FRUCTOSE, MANNITOL, GLYCERINE, GLUCONIC ACID, AND AMMONIUM GLUCONATE; (2) INDUCING AND MAINTAINING POLYMERIZATION OF SAID VINYL CHLORIDE AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 0*C. TO 45*C. WHILE AGITATING SAID DISPERSION UNTIL A CONVERSION OF ABOUT 70 TO ABOUT 90 PERCENT MONOMER TO POLYMER HAS BEEN ATTAINED AND (3) ISOLATING THE SO-FORMED AGGREGATES OF INDIVIDUAL SPHERES OF POLYVINYL CHLORIDE.