Process for agglomerating synthetic resin latex by freezing and thawing in the presence of a swelling agent

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR AGGLOMERATING LATEX WHEREIN THE AVERAGE PARTICLE SIZE OF POLYMER IN THE RESULTANT AGGLOMERATED LATEX IS ENLARGED BY STEPS INCLUDING FREEZING AND THAWING, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING FREEZING AND THAWING AT LEAST ONE LATEX SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF LATICES OF HOMOPOLYMERS OF ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMERS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF STYRENE, ALPHAMETHYLSTYRENE, METHYL ACRYLATE AND METHYL METHACRYLATE, AND LATICES OF COPOLYMERS OF SAID ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMERS AND CONJUGATED DIOLEFINS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF 1,3-BUTADIENE, 2-METHYL-1,3BUTADIENE, 2,3-DIMETHYL-1,3-BUTADIENE AND PIPERYLENE CONTAINING AT LEAST 80% BY WEIGHT OF BOUND ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMER, IN THE PRESENCE OF AT LEAST ONE WATER INSOLUBLE ORGANIC LIQUID SWELLING AGENT FOR THE POLYMER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NORMALLY LIQUID SATURATED HYDROCARBONS, NORMALLY LIQUID SATURATED HALOGENATED HYDROCARBONS, BENZENE, TERTIARY BUTYL BENZENE, TOLUENE, XYLENE, CHLOROBENZENE, AND CYCLOHEXANE IN AN AMOUNT EFFECTIVE TO SWELL THE PARTICLES OF POLYMER, THE SWELLING AGENT BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT OF AT LEAST 40 PARTS BY WEIGHT FOR EACH 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF THE LATEX WHEN CALCULATED BY WEIGHT AND ON A DRY SOLID BASIS, THE PARTICLES OF POLYMER BEING SWOLLEN BY THE SWELLING AGENT AT THE TIME OF FREEZING AND THAWING THE LATEX AND THE WEIGHT RATIO OF WATER TO SWELLING AGENT AND POLYMER BEING AT LEAST ABOUT 1:1.