HIGHLY ABSORBENT AND RETENTIVE FIBER MATERIAL

• US 20120097351A1
• Filed: 01/05/2011
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE)
• Original Assignee: Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE)
• Inventors: SCHARPF, Elizabeth, Huang, Liying, Brice, Hannah
• Granted Patent: US 8,936,697 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 162/100
• CPC Class Codes: D21B 1/342 Mixing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 1/02 with water or steam
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 9/007 by mechanical or physical means
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 11/08 Mechanical or thermomechanical pulp
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 11/16 modified by a particular after-treatment

Abstract

A process for producing a water-absorbent high-porosity fibrous matrix from lignocellulosic raw materials, comprising wet mechanical processing of the raw material, drying, and then dry mechanical processing the fibers to provide a fibrous matrix is provided. The high-porosity fibrous matrix and absorbent articles prepared therefrom are also provided.

Claims

1. A process for producing a water-absorbent high-porosity fibrous matrix comprising:

(a) mechanically processing a lignocellulosic raw material with water;

(b) drying the wet mechanically processed material to substantially remove the water content; and

(c) dry-fluffing the dried material by mechanical processing to provide the high-porosity fibrous matrix.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the wet mechanical processing step (a) comprises crushing, grinding, refining, beating, high speed blending, or a combination of these processes.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the wet mechanical processing step (a) is performed using a blender.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the dry-fluffing step (c) is performed using a blender.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the lignocellulosic raw material is selected from the group consisting of hardwoods, softwoods and agricultural byproducts.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the lignocellulosic raw material is selected from the group consisting of agricultural byproducts of corn, wheat, rice, sorghum, barley, sugarcane, pineapple, banana, coconut or oil palm.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the lignocellulosic raw material comprises banana stem fibers.

8. The process of claim 1, further comprising forming the high-porosity fibrous matrix into a water-absorbent and water-retentive pad.

9. A water-absorbent and water-retentive pad prepared according to the process of claim 8.

14. A high-porosity fibrous matrix prepared according to the process of claim 1.

10. A water-absorbent and water-retentive pad comprising a high-porosity fibrous matrix prepared from lignocellulosic raw material by mechanical processing.

11. The pad of claim 10, wherein the lignocellulosic raw material is selected from the group consisting of hardwoods, softwoods and agricultural byproducts.

12. The pad of claim 10, wherein the lignocellulosic raw material is selected from the group consisting of agricultural byproducts of corn, wheat, rice, sorghum, barley, sugarcane, pineapple, banana, coconut and oil palm.

13. The pad of claim 10, wherein the lignocellulosic raw material comprises banana stem fibers.