Process for cement extrusion that makes use of crosslinked cellulose additives

1. A process of preparing a construction material system, comprising extruding a construction material with an additive comprising an irreversibly crosslinked cellulose derivative,

wherein the irreversibly crosslinked cellulose derivative is prepared by a process comprising,

(a) alkalizing cellulose with aqueous alkali metal hydroxide solution in the presence of a suspension medium,

(b) reacting the alkalized cellulose with one or more alkylene oxides,

(c) reacting the alkalized cellulose of step-(b) with an alkyl halide present in the suspension medium,

(d) subsequently or simultaneously reacting the alkalized cellulose with a crosslinker in an amount of 0.0001to 0.05 eq, where the unit “eq” represents the molar ratio of the crosslinker relative to the anhydroglucose unit (AGU) of the cellulose used, and

(e) optionally performing at least one of steps (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv),

(i) adding a material selected from the group consisting of alkali metal hydroxide, alkylating agent and combinations thereof,

(ii) separating off the irreversibly crosslinked cellulose derivative from the reaction mixture,

(iii) purifying the irreversibly crosslinked cellulose derivative, and

(iv) drying the irreversibly crosslinked cellulose derivative.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the construction material system is a cementitious mixture or a fibrous cementitious mixture.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the additive is present in an amount of 0.3 to 2.5% by weight, based on the total mass of the dry materials.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the additive comprises irreversibly crosslinked cellulose derivatives in an amount of 10 to 100% by weight.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the cellulose derivative of said irreversibly crosslinked cellulose derivative is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyethylcellulose derivative, methylcellulose derivative, methyl hydroxypropylcellulose derivative and methyl hydroxyethylcellulose derivative.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein said additive comprises a solution comprising:

(a) the irreversibly crosslinked cellulose derivative, present in an amount of 1.5 to 2.0 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of solution; and

(b) one of,

(i) water, or

(ii) a solvent of 98 parts by weight of water and 2 parts by weight of sodium hydroxide per 100 parts by weight of solvent.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein said solution of said irreversibly crosslinked cellulose derivative has a linear-viscoelastic material function shear storage modulus G′ and a linear-viscoelastic material function shear loss modulus G″ at a temperature of 20° C.+/−1° C. in the range of angular frequency ω of 0.1 s −1 to 1 s −1 depending on the angular frequency wherein exponents n and m of the relationships G″∝ωn (shear storage modulus is proportional to the angular frequency to the power n) and G″∝ωm (shear loss modulus is proportional to the angular frequency to the power m) are approximately equal, the ratio of n to m being from 0.90 to 1.20 for the solution.