Water-soluble or water-dispersible graft copolymers, the preparation thereof and the use thereof

Abstract

A water-soluble or water-dispersible graft copolymer obtainable by free-radical graft copolymerization of (I) at least one monoethylenically unsaturated monomer onto (II) polymers with a molecular weight of 200-5000 of monoethylenically unsaturated dicarboxylic acids or anhydrides thereof using from 5 to 2,000 parts by weight of the monomers (I) per 100 parts by weight of grafting base, a process for preparing the graft copolymers and the use of the graft copolymers as additive to phosphate-free or reduced phosphate textile detergents, as dispersants and preventers of deposits in cleaners for hard surfaces and as water-treatment agents for reducing the deposition of scale and the separation out of water hardness in water-conveying systems.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.