Dispersible Wet Wipe Binding Agent for Strength and Flushability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flushable wipes are either too weak to be pulled out of a package when wet or too strong to disperse properly in sewage systems, leading to potential blockages.
Innovation Solution
A dispersible wet wipe comprising a base sheet of short length fibers reinforced with a non-adhesive binding agent, such as microfibrillar cellulose or adhesive emulsions, that maintains strength for removal from a package and fully disperses in excess water.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cellulose pulp fibers are used to make flushable wipes, then the wipes are dispersible in water, but they become too weak to be pulled out from a package when wetted
Solution Approach 1:
A binding agent is introduced as an intermediary substance between the cellulose pulp fibers and the wetting lotion. This binding agent reinforces the fibers when wetted with lotion (enabling package removal) but disperses in excess water (enabling sewage system dispersal). The binding agent thus mediates between the conflicting requirements of strength and dispersibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical and physical parameters of the fiber network by introducing a binding agent with specific properties: it provides reinforcement at low water content (lotion conditions) but undergoes dispersal at high water content (sewage conditions). This parameter-based differentiation resolves the contradiction between maintaining strength and enabling dispersibility.
2Strength
If cellulose pulp fibers are strongly bonded to provide strength, then the wipes can be pulled out from a package, but they become too strong to disperse properly in the sewage system
Solution Approach 1:
The binding properties of the fiber network are made dynamic rather than static. The binding agent provides strong bonding when wetted with lotion (enabling package removal) but automatically transitions to a dispersed state in excess water (enabling sewage system breakdown). This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between strength and dispersibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes parameter changes in the binding agent's behavior based on water content. At low water content (lotion), the binding agent maintains strong fiber bonding; at high water content (sewage), the binding agent disperses. This parameter-dependent behavior allows the wipe to exhibit both strength and dispersibility under different conditions.
3Strength
If conventional binding agents are used to reinforce the wipe, then the wipe has sufficient strength for handling, but it does not disperse fully in the sewage system
Solution Approach 1:
The binding agent is designed as a temporary, disposable reinforcement that serves its purpose during handling and package removal, then automatically disappears (disperses) in the sewage system. This temporary functionality resolves the contradiction between providing handling strength and enabling complete dispersibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The binding agent's effectiveness is made dependent on water content parameters. It provides reinforcement at handling-relevant water content levels but becomes ineffective (disperses) at sewage-system water content levels. This parameter-based control allows the wipe to be both handleable and flushable.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The wipes retain mechanical strength for extended shelf life and disintegrate fully in sewage systems within an hour, ensuring effective flushing without causing blockages.
Implementation Method 1
a dispersible binding agent reinforcing the base sheet... configured to bind the fibers of the base sheet when the dispersible wipe includes liquid at an amount of at most 400 wt % from the weight of the base sheet
Implementation Method 2
to disperse in excess water if the amount of the water exceeds 500 wt %
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a wet wipe, for example, a dispersible wet wipe. The wet wipe may include a base sheet comprising short length fibers; a dispersible binding agent reinforcing the base sheet; and a wetting lotion. The dispersible binding agent may be configured to bind the fibers of the base sheet when the dispersible wipe includes liquid at an amount of at most 400 wt % from the weight of the base sheet and to disperse in excess water if the amount of the water exceeds 500 wt %.