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A method and apparatus for making silicone-in-water emulsions comprising high viscosity silicone polymers is provided. In various aspects, polyorganosiloxanes are polymerized into high viscosity silicone polymers then emulsified in a continuous process, wherein the process is carried out using a sin

A method and apparatus for making silicone-in-water emulsions comprising high viscosity silicone polymers is provided. In various aspects, polyorganosiloxanes are polymerized into high viscosity silicone polymers then emulsified in a continuous process, wherein the process is carried out using a single apparatus. In some aspects, the provided apparatus is an extruder for polymerizing polyorganosiloxanes into high viscosity silicone polymers and then emulsifying such polymers.

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1. A continuous process of making a silicone-in-water emulsion in an extruder, comprising: (i) forming a silicone polymer having a viscosity of at least 10,000 mm2/s at 25° C. by polymerization of one or more polyorganosiloxanes in the extruder; wherein polymerization is selected from (a) condensati

1. A continuous process of making a silicone-in-water emulsion in an extruder, comprising: (i) forming a silicone polymer having a viscosity of at least 10,000 mm2/s at 25° C. by polymerization of one or more polyorganosiloxanes in the extruder; wherein polymerization is selected from (a) condensation polymerization of at least one polyorganosiloxane having at least one hydroxyl group capable of undergoing condensation polymerization; (b) ring-opening polymerization of at least one cyclosiloxane; (c) addition polymerization of a mixture of at least one polyorganosiloxane having at least one unsaturated aliphatic group and at least one hydrogen-terminated polyorganosiloxane; and (d) combinations thereof;wherein one or more catalysts, optionally one or more endblockers, and optionally one or more other additives are mixed with the polyorganosiloxanes;wherein polymerization is carried out in the absence of solvent other than solvents used as carriers for the catalysts, optional endblockers, and optional additives;(ii) optionally, neutralizing or stripping the silicone polymer in the extruder, wherein stripping can occur before, after, or without addition of a neutralizing agent;(iii) cooling the silicone polymer in a cooling zone of the extruder at a temperature between about 0° C. and about 60° C.;(iv) optionally, mixing one or more emulsifiers with the silicone polymer in the extruder;(v) optionally, adding water to the silicone polymer in the extruder;(vi) applying shear to form a silicone-in-water emulsion in the extruder; wherein the emulsion has a silicone polymer; wherein the emulsion has 0-0.3% by weight of at least one of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxanes and decamethylcyclopentasiloxanes; and(vii) optionally, diluting the emulsion in the extruder; wherein the extruder is selected from single-screw extruders and multi-screw extruders. 2. The process of claim 1, wherein the silicone polymer is formed by condensation polymerization of at least one polyorganosiloxane having a viscosity of from about 40 mm2/s to about 100 mm2/s at 25° C. 3. The process of claim 2, wherein the polyorganosiloxanes are characterized by formula (1): R1O[R2R3SiO]xH  (1)wherein R1, R2, and R3 are independently selected from a hydrogen atom; an alkyl or substituted alkyl group containing up to 8 carbon atoms; an aryl or substituted aryl group containing up to 8 carbon atoms; andwherein x is an integer with a value of from 2-80. 4. The process of claim 3, wherein each R1, R2, and R3 is independently selected from methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, sec-butyl, iso-butyl, and tert-butyl. 5. The process of claim 3, wherein the polyorganosiloxanes are polydimethylsiloxanes. 6. The process of claim 1, wherein the silicone polymer is formed by ring-opening polymerization of at least one cyclosiloxane having a viscosity of from about 1 mm2/s to about 5 mm2/s at 25° C. 7. The process of claim 6, wherein the cyclosiloxanes are characterized by formula (2): [R1R2SiO]x  (2)wherein R1 and R2 are independently selected from a hydrogen atom; an optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkaryl, or aralkyl group containing up to 8 carbon atoms; methyl; ethyl; n-propyl; trifluoropropyl; isopropyl; n-butyl; sec-butyl; iso-butyl; tert-butyl; vinyl; allyl; propenyl; butenyl; phenyl; tolyl; and benzoyl; and wherein x is an integer with a value of from 3 to 12. 8. The process of claim 7, wherein the cyclosiloxanes are selected from octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane, decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, cyclopenta(methylvinyl)siloxane, cyclotetra(phenylmethyl)siloxane, and cyclopentamethylhydrosiloxane. 9. The process of claim 1, wherein the silicone polymer is formed by addition polymerization of polyorganosiloxanes having a viscosity of from about 8 mm2/s to about 55,000 mm2/s at 25° C. 10. The process of claim 1, wherein the polyorganosiloxane is selected from linear polyorganosiloxanes or substantially linear polyorganosiloxanes. 11. The process of claim 10, wherein the polyorganosiloxanes are characterized by formula (3): R1O—[R2R3SiO]xR4  (3)wherein R1, R2, R3, and R4 are independently selected from a hydrogen atom; an alkyl or substituted alkyl group containing up to 8 carbon atoms; an alkenyl or substituted alkenyl group containing up to 8 carbon atoms; an alkynyl or substituted alkynyl group containing up to 8 carbon atoms; an aryl or substituted aryl group containing up to 8 carbon atoms; substituted or unsubstituted vinyl; propenyl; butenyl; ethynyl; propynyl; and butyryl; andwherein x is an integer with a value of from 2 to 1300. 12. The process of claim 1, wherein the one or more catalysts is selected from phosphonitrile chloride, polydimethylaminophosphazenium hydroxide, and a platinum catalyst. 13. The process of claim 1, wherein the neutralization agent is selected from triethanolamine, trihexylamine, and trimethylsilyl vinylphosphonic acid. 14. The process of claim 1, wherein the silicone-in-water emulsion has an octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane content of from about 0% to about 0.3% by weight. 15. The process of claim 1, wherein the silicone-in-water emulsion has a decamethylcyclopentasiloxane content of from about 0% to about 0.3% by weight. 16. The process of claim 1, wherein the silicone-in-water emulsion comprises a silicone polymer having a viscosity of from about 10,000 mm2/s to about 200,000,000 mm2/s at 25° C. 17. The process of claim 16, wherein the silicone-in-water emulsion comprises a silicone polymer having a viscosity of from about 80,000 mm2/s to about 10,000,000 mm2/s at 25° C. 18. The process of claim 16, wherein the silicone-in-water emulsion comprises a silicone polymer having a viscosity of from about 1,200,000 mm2/s to about 175,000,000 mm2/s at 25° C. 19. The process of claim 1, wherein the silicone-in-water emulsion has an average particle size of from about 0.1 micrometers to about 25 micrometers. 20. The process of claim 1, wherein the silicone polymer is neutralized or stripped in the extruder. 21. The process of claim 1, wherein one or more emulsifiers are mixed with the silicone polymer in the extruder. 22. The process of claim 1, wherein water is added to the silicone polymer in the extruder.