CN-121985929-A - Foam-formed flushable tissue paper product with ion-activated adhesive

Abstract

A method for forming a tissue product includes depositing a foamed slurry of fibers onto a forming surface to form a wet web of fibers and drying the wet web of fibers. The wet web comprises an ion-activated adhesive composition applied to the fibers prior to drying the wet web.

Inventors

• R. S. Munson
• J. M. Fanlaning
• S. A. Marano

Assignees

• 金伯利-克拉克环球有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20240725

Priority Date

20230725

Claims (20)

1. 1. A method for forming a wipe, the method comprising: depositing a foamed slurry of fibers onto a forming surface to form a wet web of fibers, and The wet fibrous web is dried and the web is dried, Wherein the wet web comprises an ion sensitive adhesive composition applied to the fibers prior to drying the wet web.
2. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising introducing the ion-sensitive adhesive composition into the foamed slurry of fibers prior to depositing the foamed slurry of fibers onto the forming surface.
3. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein introducing the ion-sensitive adhesive composition into the foamed slurry of fibers comprises adding the ion-sensitive adhesive composition into a machine box.
4. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising spraying the ion-sensitive adhesive composition onto the wet web prior to drying the wet web.
5. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein drying the wet web comprises drying the wet web in a through-air dryer.
6. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein drying the wet web comprises curing the ion-sensitive adhesive composition.
7. 7. The method of claim 6 wherein after drying the wet web, the fibers in the dry web are coated with a cured ion sensitive adhesive composition throughout the thickness of the dry web.
8. 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the ion-sensitive adhesive composition comprises the polymerization product of a vinyl functional cationic monomer, a hydrophobic vinyl monomer having a methyl side chain, and one or more hydrophobic vinyl monomers having an alkyl side chain of 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
9. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the fibers comprise natural pulp fibers.
10. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein depositing the foamed slurry of fibers and drying the wet web are part of a continuous production process.
11. 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a wetting composition to the dried web after drying the wet web, the wetting composition comprising a saline solution.
12. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the aqueous salt solution comprises from about 0.3 wt% to about 10 wt% of a monovalent or divalent salt, the ion sensitive adhesive composition being insoluble in the wetting solution, the ion sensitive adhesive composition being dispersed in water containing up to 200ppm ca2+ ions and/or mg2+ ions.
13. 13. A wipe formed according to the method of claim 1.
14. 14. A method for forming a wipe, the method comprising: forming a foamed slurry of fibers comprising an ion sensitive adhesive composition; Depositing a foamed slurry of said fibers onto a forming surface to form a wet web of fibers, and Drying the wet web.
15. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising introducing the ion-sensitive adhesive composition into the foaming slurry in a machine oven.
16. 16. The method of claim 14, further comprising applying a wetting composition to the dried web after drying the wet web, the wetting composition comprising a saline solution.
17. 17. A method for forming a wipe, the method comprising: Depositing a foamed slurry of fibers onto a forming surface to form a wet web of fibers; spraying an ion-sensitive adhesive composition onto the wet web, and Drying the wet web.
18. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein drying the wet web comprises curing the ion-sensitive adhesive composition.
19. 19. The method of claim 17, further comprising applying a wetting composition to the dried web after drying the wet web, the wetting composition comprising a saline solution.
20. 20. A wipe formed according to the method of claim 1.

Description

Foam-formed flushable tissue paper product with ion-activated adhesive Background Dispersible wet wipes are typically designed to be flushed directly into the toilet bowl after use. Thus, flushable wet wipes generally have sufficient strength to withstand the user's withdrawal of the wet wipe from the dispenser and the user's wiping action, but can then be relatively quickly disintegrated and dispersed in household and municipal sanitary systems (e.g., sewer or septic systems). Some municipalities may define "flushable" by various regulations. The flushable wet wipe must meet such regulations in order to be compatible with household sanitary equipment and drain lines, as well as to dispose of the product in field and municipal wastewater treatment systems. To facilitate the dispersibility of the wet wipe, an ion-sensitive adhesive may adhere the fibers together within the wipe. The controlled concentration of salt in the wetting solution insolubilizes the binder and allows the binder to function as a binder for the fibrous web. When the wet wipe is discarded into the waste water stream, the salt concentration is diluted, the binder becomes soluble, and the strength decreases so that the wipe breaks down into small pieces and eventually disperses. Conventional methods for making dispersible wet wipes include air-laying fibers onto a preformed dry web to form a layered web, spraying an adhesive onto the layered web, and then curing the adhesive. Conventional methods may be time and/or energy intensive. Dispersible wet wipes that are less time and/or energy intensive to produce would be useful. Disclosure of Invention Generally, the present disclosure relates to forming a tissue product by foam forming a slurry of fibers onto a forming surface and then drying the wet fibrous web. The ion-triggered adhesive composition is applied to the fibers prior to drying the wet web. During drying, the ion-triggered adhesive may cure to bind the fibers together. By applying the ion-activated adhesive composition to the fibers prior to drying the wet web, substantial energy savings can be achieved relative to conventional methods of forming dispersible wet wipes. In one example embodiment, a method for forming a tissue product includes depositing a foamed slurry of fibers onto a forming surface to form a wet web of fibers and drying the wet web of fibers. The wet web contains an ion-activated adhesive composition applied to the fibers prior to drying the wet web. In another exemplary embodiment, a method for forming a tissue product includes forming a foamed slurry of fibers. The foamed slurry of fibers comprises an ion-activated adhesive composition. The method further includes depositing a foamed slurry of fibers onto a forming surface to form a wet web and drying the wet web. In another example embodiment, a method for forming a tissue product includes depositing a foamed slurry of fibers onto a forming surface to form a wet web, spraying an ion-triggered adhesive composition onto the wet web, and drying the wet web. In one example embodiment, the wipe may be formed according to any of the methods described above. In one exemplary embodiment, a wipe includes a foam-formed nonwoven web having fibers and a cured ion-activated adhesive composition applied to the fibers such that the fibers are coated with the cured ion-sensitive adhesive composition throughout the thickness of the foam-formed nonwoven web. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. Drawings A full and enabling disclosure of the present disclosure, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures. Fig. 1 is a side view of a tissue product according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure; fig. 2 is a side view of a tissue product according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the example tissue product of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a method for foam forming a substrate for a dispersible wet wipe in accordance with an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, and Fig. 5 is a schematic illustration of a multi-layer foam forming process for a dispersible wet wipe according to an example aspect of the present disclosure. Repeated use of reference characters in the specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the invention. Detailed Description The present disclosure relates generally to forming a tissue product by foam forming a slurry of fibers onto a forming surface and then drying