Recycled Cellulose Felt Processing for Odorless Insulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cellulose from used nappies and sanitary towels has a strong smell and non-uniform color, making it difficult to use, and existing methods require costly purification and chemical treatments.
Innovation Solution
A process that reduces cellulose fiber length to less than 18 mm through grinding and filtration, followed by selective sieving, dispersion in water, and addition of hot-melt fibers without using oxidizing reagents or resins, allowing for the production of stable, odorless, and homogeneous felt materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If cellulose from used nappies and sanitary towels is used directly, then the material is readily available and can be processed, but it has a strong smell and non-uniform color making it difficult to use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the harmful components (smell and color variations) from the cellulose through a simplified washing process, separating the desirable cellulose fibers from the unwanted odorous and discoloring substances without requiring complex chemical treatments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the previously harmful strong smell and non-uniform color into acceptable characteristics by using a simple washing process that eliminates these defects, transforming waste material into a usable resource for felt production
2Object-affected harmful factors
If costly purification and chemical treatments are used to remove smell and non-uniform color, then the quality of the felt material improves, but the production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs simple, inexpensive washing processes instead of costly chemical treatments, using basic water and mechanical action to achieve the desired quality improvement, thereby reducing production costs while maintaining product quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex chemical treatment systems with a simpler mechanical washing process, substituting chemical reagents and complex purification equipment with basic water washing and filtration methods that are less costly and more environmentally friendly
3Stability of the object's composition
If fiber length is reduced to less than 18 mm through grinding and filtration, then the felt material becomes more compact and stable, but the processing time and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the fiber length parameter to less than 18 mm, which provides the right balance between achieving compact and stable felt material while avoiding excessive processing time and energy consumption that would result from reducing fibers to much smaller sizes
4Object-affected harmful factors
If oxidizing reagents and resins are used to treat the cellulose, then the smell is reduced and material properties are improved, but the environmental impact and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the need for oxidizing reagents and resins by using a simple washing process that naturally removes odorous substances without requiring additional chemical agents, thereby simplifying the process and reducing environmental impact
Solution Approach 2:
The washing process allows the cellulose material to self-clean and deodorize through mechanical action and water, without requiring external chemical reagents or complex treatment systems, making the process simpler and more environmentally friendly
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 process produces compact, stable, and odorless felt with improved chemical, thermal, and biological stability, capable of quick water absorption and abrasion resistance, without the need for costly purification or chemical treatments, and with low environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
reduction of the length of the cellulose fibres in order to obtain a length of less than 18 mm by optional grinding followed by filtration
Implementation Method 2
dispersion in water of the product obtained at the end of step b) with reduced volume and fibres with reduced length wherein steps from a) to b) enable the cellulose to be degraded (intended as homogenisation of the cellulose or removal from the same of impurities or unexpected substances)
Implementation Method 3
addition of at least one hot-melt fibre with a fibre length not exceeding 20 mm
Data Source
AI summary
A process is described for the production of felt from the degraded cellulose from used nappies and sanitary towels, the thermal insulation materials and the acoustic insulation materials containing said felt as well as building materials containing said insulation materials.