Method for dissolving polyvinyl alcohol particles into aqueous media using high shear

A process for dissolving a polyvinyl alcohol into an aqueous medium comprising:

• combining a mixture of a solvent comprising water said solvent having an initial temperature of less than about 180° F., with a polyvinyl alcohol and a dispersant, the polyvinyl alcohol being in the form of solid particles, the dispersant comprising an acetylenic diol surfactant, an alkylarylalkoxylate, an alkylethoxylate, an alkylethersulfate, an alkyletherphosphoric acid ester, a polyarylalkylphenolethoxylate, a castor oil polyoxyethylene sulfosuccinic acid ester;
• an ethylene oxide/propylene oxide block copolymer;
• a sodium salt of naphthalenesulphonic acid;
• a diethylethanolamine;
• a carboxylic acid salt with an alkyl ammonium;
• or an unsaturated polycarboxylic acid polymer, wherein the mixture consists essentially of the solvent, the polyvinyl alcohol and the dispersant;
• mixing the solvent, the polyvinyl alcohol, and the dispersant without adding any external heat in a high shear device using a shear rate of at least 100 sec−1 to form an aqueous polyvinyl alcohol solution such that the resulting solution has a final temperature of less than about 200° F. and the polyvinyl alcohol is substantially completely dissolved such that no more than 5% by weight of undissolved polyvinyl alcohol solids are present in the resulting solution.