Polyacrylic acid (salt) water-absorbent resin, production process thereof, and acrylic acid used in polymerization for production of water-absorbent resin
An embodiment of the present invention allows for the production, with a high productivity, of a water-absorbent resin having an improved relationship between absorption capacity and water-soluble polymer, which are conflicting properties of the water-absorbent resin, being easily controlled for polymerization reaction, being of no odor, being less colored, and being of high absorption properties (high absorption capacity under load and high PPUP). In one embodiment of the present invention, a process for producing a water-absorbent resin by polymerizing an acrylic acid composition including acrylic acid and/or its salt, the process includes: (a) the step of carrying out radical polymerization of the acrylic acid composition to form a hydrogel crosslinked polymer and (b) the step of drying the hydrogel crosslinked polymer by application of heat, the acrylic acid composition having an unpolymerizable organic compound content of 1 to 1000 ppm by weight, wherein the unpolymerizable organic compound has a solubility parameter of (1.0 to 2.5)×104(Jm−3)1/2.