Dispersible hydroentangled basesheet with triggerable binder
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flushable moist wipes often take too long to break down in sanitation systems, risking blockages in toilets and water treatment systems, while attempts to enhance dispersibility reduce in-use strength, and existing solutions are costly or use non-biodegradable materials.
Innovation Solution
The use of hydroentangled fibers combined with a small amount of an ion-triggerable binder composition, providing high initial wet strength and rapid loss of strength under soak conditions, allowing for effective dispersion without the need for expensive binders or non-biodegradable fibers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If thermoplastically bonded bi-component fibers are used to increase in-use strength, then the in-use strength is improved, but the dispersibility in sanitization systems deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the bonding mechanism from thermoplastic bonding to hydroentangling, which uses high-pressure water jets to mechanically entangle fibers without thermal bonding. This parameter change maintains in-use strength through physical entanglement while preserving dispersibility because no permanent thermal bonds prevent fiber separation in water.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the thermoplastic bonding step from the manufacturing process and replaces it with hydroentangling. By removing the thermoplastic component, the patent eliminates the harmful effect of non-dispersible bonded fibers while maintaining fiber cohesion through mechanical entanglement alone.
2Strength
If a net structure is added to entangled fibers to improve in-use strength, then the in-use strength is improved, but the dispersibility deteriorates because the net does not disperse
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the net structure from the wipe composition entirely. Instead of adding a non-dispersible net component, the patent relies solely on hydroentangled fibers to provide both strength and dispersibility, eliminating the conflicting net element that prevented proper dispersion.
3Strength
If a salt-sensitive binder is used to achieve high in-use strength, then the in-use strength is improved, but the cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses inexpensive, biodegradable cellulose fibers instead of expensive salt-sensitive binders. The fibers are designed to be disposable and biodegradable, providing sufficient strength through hydroentangling while costing significantly less than proprietary binder systems. The fibers naturally decompose in sanitization systems without requiring special chemical binders.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent eliminates the need for external binders by using the fibers themselves to provide structural integrity through hydroentangling. The fiber network serves its own binding function through mechanical entanglement, removing the need for costly additional binder materials and simplifying the composition to just biodegradable fibers.
4Strength
If a high quantity of synthetic fibers is used to increase in-use strength, then the in-use strength is improved, but the dispersibility and cost both deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fiber material from synthetic to natural cellulose fibers. This material parameter change provides sufficient in-use strength through hydroentangling while maintaining dispersibility and biodegradability. The natural fibers decompose in sanitization systems, unlike synthetic fibers that persist and cause blockages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite structure of hydroentangled cellulose fibers that combine mechanical entanglement with natural fiber properties. This composite approach provides the strength typically associated with synthetic fibers while maintaining the dispersibility and biodegradability of natural materials.
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 combination of hydroentangled fibers and a small amount of ion-triggerable binder composition results in moist wipes with high initial strength, rapid dispersibility, and cost-effectiveness, addressing the challenges of in-use strength and sanitation system compatibility.
Implementation Method 1
The binder attaches to the cellulose fibers of the wipes in a formulation containing a salt solution, yielding a relatively high in-use strength
Implementation Method 2
When the used moist wipes are exposed to the water of the toilet and/or sewer system, the binder swells thereby allowing and potentially even assisting in the wipes falling apart
Implementation Method 3
a plurality of hydroentangled fibers
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure is generally directed to a dispersible moist wipe comprising hydroentangled fibers and a binder composition. The moist wipe demonstrates high initial wet strength while maintaining effective dispersion in an aqueous environment. The moist wipe has potential application as a flushable surface cleaning product and/or a flushable cleansing cloth.