FABRIC FOR WET WIPES AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 2023-0063530 filed on May 17, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present invention relates to a fabric for wet wipes and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a fabric for wet wipes, which is biodegradable and antibacterial and has excellent tensile strength, and to a method of manufacturing the same.

BACKGROUND ART

With an increase in living standards, interest in hygiene is increasing. Due to this high interest, most general restaurants and the like have recently begun providing wet wipes to customers.

In general, a fabric for wet wipes is manufactured using a dry manufacturing process and then impregnated with purified water and a detergent.

Wet wipes are classified into various types depending on the end use thereof, such as multi-use wet wipes for daily necessities, single-use wet wipes for food service, etc.

However, conventional fabrics for wet wipes are mostly dry nonwoven fabrics made of materials such as general pulp, rayon, PP, PE, etc. Hence, when manufacturing a fabric for wet wipes using general pulp alone, sufficient tensile strength may not be obtained and tearing may occur during the manufacturing process, and when using rayon, PP, or PE, the decomposition period is long upon disposal, which may cause serious environmental pollution.

CITATION LIST

• • (Patent Document 1) Korea Patent Application Publication No. 2014-0033888
  • (Patent Document 2) Korean Patent Application Publication No. 2017-0040524
  • (Patent Document 3) Korean Patent No. 1990743
  • (Patent Document 4) Korean Patent No. 1808097

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

The present invention has been made keeping in mind the problems encountered in the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fabric for wet wipes with biodegradability and antibacterial performance and a method of manufacturing the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fabric for wet wipes with excellent tensile strength and a method of manufacturing the same.

Technical Solution

In order to solve this technical problem, the present invention provides a fabric for wet wipes including biodegradable bleached kraft pulp and bamboo pulp.

Also, the fabric for wet wipes according to the present invention may further include at least one selected from among a dispersant, a temporary wet strength agent, a deaerating agent, and a softening agent.

Also, the fabric for wet wipes according to the present invention may include 90 to 110 parts by weight of the bleached kraft pulp, 5 to 15 parts by weight of the bamboo pulp, 0.01 to 0.10 parts by weight of the dispersant, 4 to 15 parts by weight of the temporary wet strength agent, 0.01 to 0.25 parts by weight of the deaerating agent, and 0.5 to 3 parts by weight of the softening agent.

Also, in the fabric for wet wipes according to the present invention, the bleached kraft pulp may have a diameter of 10 to 20 μm and a length of 1 to 4 mm, the bamboo pulp may have a diameter of 5 to 15 μm and a length of 1 to 4 mm, the dispersant may be a nonionic surfactant, the temporary wet strength agent may be an amine-based temporary wet strength agent, the deaerating agent may be a higher alcohol-based deaerating agent, and the softening agent may be a quaternary ammonium-based softening agent.

Also, the fabric for wet wipes according to the present invention may satisfy tensile strength in a machine direction of 25 N/cm or more, tensile strength in a cross direction of 15 N/cm or more, wet tensile strength in a machine direction of 7 N/cm or more, and wet tensile strength in a cross direction of 5 N/cm or more.

In addition, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a fabric for wet wipes including a first step of preparing raw materials, a second step of preparing a raw material mixture by mixing the prepared raw materials, a third step of fibrillating the prepared raw material mixture, a fourth step of laminating the fibrillated raw material mixture on a mesh belt, and a fifth step of dehydrating the raw material mixture laminated on the mesh belt, in which the raw materials include biodegradable bleached kraft pulp and bamboo pulp.

Also, in the method of manufacturing a fabric for wet wipes according to the present invention, the raw materials may further include at least one selected from among a dispersant, a temporary wet strength agent, a deaerating agent, and a softening agent.

Also, in the method of manufacturing a fabric for wet wipes according to the present invention, in the first step, 9,900 to 11,000 parts by weight of water, 90 to 110 parts by weight of the bleached kraft pulp, 5 to 15 parts by weight of the bamboo pulp, 0.01 to 0.10 parts by weight of the dispersant, 4 to 15 parts by weight of the temporary wet strength agent, 0.01 to 0.25 parts by weight of the deaerating agent, and 0.5 to 3 parts by weight of the softening agent may be prepared.

Also, in the method of manufacturing a fabric for wet wipes according to the present invention, fibrillating the prepared raw material mixture in the third step may be performed by applying a pressure in the range of 130 to 160 N.

Also, in the method of manufacturing a fabric for wet wipes according to the present invention, the bleached kraft pulp may have a diameter of 10 to 20 μm and a length of 1 to 4 mm, the bamboo pulp may have a diameter of 5 to 15 μm and a length of 1 to 4 mm, the dispersant may be a nonionic surfactant, the temporary wet strength agent may be an amine-based temporary wet strength agent, the deaerating agent may be a higher alcohol-based deaerating agent, and the softening agent may be a quaternary ammonium-based softening agent.

Advantageous Effects

As is apparent from the above description, in a fabric for wet wipes according to the present invention and a method of manufacturing the same, the fabric includes bleached kraft Pulp and bamboo pulp, exhibiting biodegradability and excellent antibacterial performance.

Also, in the fabric for wet wipes according to the present invention and the method of manufacturing the same, since the fabric has excellent tensile strength, occurrence of breaks during the manufacturing process can be suppressed, greatly reducing the defect rate of a fabric for wet wipes.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a process of manufacturing a fabric for wet wipes according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

MODE FOR INVENTION

Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given of the present invention with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention and drawings such that the present invention may be easily implemented by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, which is not to be construed as limiting the technical idea and scope of the present invention.

Also, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense, unless clearly defined in the present application.

A fabric for wet wipes according to the present invention and a method of manufacturing the same are described in detail below.

The fabric for wet wipes according to the present invention includes bleached kraft pulp and bamboo pulp, and is biodegradable and flexible and has excellent tensile strength. The fabric for wet wipes having the characteristics described above may be used as a fabric for single-use wet wipes or multi-use wet wipes.

Bleached kraft pulp is a framework material for maintaining a fabric for wet wipes in a nonwoven form.

Here, bleached kraft pulp preferably has a diameter of 10 to 20 μm and a length of 1 to 4 mm. Outside the above ranges, there is a problem in that tensile strength and absorbency are reduced, and hence, the diameter and length of the bleached kraft pulp preferably fall in the above ranges.

Bamboo pulp is expected to have antibacterial effect. Among ingredients of bamboo, quinone, which is a bioactive material, has excellent antibacterial effect. Bamboo is the tallest plant in the Poaceae family and is mainly distributed in Southeast Asia, including Korea and Japan. Worldwide, there are over 1,250 species in 47 genera.

Representative bamboo species are Phyllostachys bambusoides, Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis, Phyllostachys pubescens, and Sasa borealis. Thereamong, Phyllostachys pubescens contains a quinone derivative, which is an antibacterial ingredient, and has strong antibacterial activity.

Here, bamboo pulp preferably has a diameter of 5 to 15 μm and a length of 1 to 4 mm. Outside the above ranges, there is a problem in that tensile strength and absorbency are reduced, and hence, the diameter and the length of the bamboo pulp preferably fall in the above ranges.

The bleached kraft pulp and the bamboo pulp are preferably mixed at a weight ratio of 90-110:5-15, more preferably at a weight ratio of 98-102:10-12.

If the amount of the bleached kraft pulp is less than the above lower limit, tensile strength of the fabric for wet wipes may be lowered and absorbency may be low, making commercialization difficult. On the other hand, if the amount of the bleached kraft pulp is greater than the above upper limit, antibacterial effect may deteriorate. Hence, the bleached kraft pulp is preferably mixed in the above range.

In addition, if the amount of the bamboo pulp is less than the above lower limit, antibacterial performance may deteriorate, whereas if the amount of the bamboo pulp is greater than the above upper limit, tensile strength and absorbency may be lowered. Hence, the bamboo pulp is preferably mixed in the above range.

Furthermore, the fabric for wet wipes according to the present invention includes preferably at least one selected from among a dispersant, a temporary wet strength agent, a deaerating agent, and a softening agent, more preferably a dispersant, a temporary wet strength agent, and a deaerating agent, most preferably all of a dispersant, a temporary wet strength agent, a deaerating agent, and a softening agent.

The dispersant serves to shorten the dissociation time of bleached kraft pulp and bamboo pulp and also to suppress agglomeration thereof, and an example thereof may be a nonionic surfactant.

The temporary wet strength agent is an ingredient to temporarily increase strength when wet with water, and an example thereof may be an amine-based temporary wet strength agent. Although it is possible to use a general wet strength agent, in this case, flushable performance is poor, so it is better to use a temporary wet strength agent.

In the process of mixing raw materials and manufacturing a fabric for wet wipes having a sheet shape, large amounts of fine bubbles may be generated due to incorporation of atmospheric air or reaction between raw materials. The generated bubbles may cause breaks, making it impossible to form a fabric for wet wipes having a sheet shape, or the bubbles may be destroyed during the drying process, greatly reducing the strength of the fabric for wet wipes. In the present invention, a deaerating agent is added to solve the problems described above, and an example thereof may be a higher alcohol-based deaerating agent.

The softening agent is a material to improve flexibility of the fabric for wet wipes, and an example thereof may be a quaternary ammonium-based softening agent.

Meanwhile, when including all of the bleached kraft pulp, bamboo pulp, dispersant, temporary wet strength agent, deaerating agent, and softening agent, 90 to 110 parts by weight of the bleached kraft pulp, 5 to 15 parts by weight of the bamboo pulp, 0.01 to 0.10 parts by weight of the dispersant, 4 to 15 parts by weight of the temporary wet strength agent, 0.01 to 0.25 parts by weight of the deaerating agent, and 0.5 to 3 parts by weight of the softening agent are preferably used, and 98 to 102 parts by weight of the bleached kraft pulp, 10 to 12 parts by weight of the bamboo pulp, 0.02 to 0.06 parts by weight of the dispersant, 4 to 11 parts by weight of the temporary wet strength agent, 0.01 to 0.15 parts by weight of the deaerating agent, and 0.5 to 3 parts by weight of the softening agent are more preferably used.

Therefore, when the amounts of the bleached kraft pulp, bamboo pulp, dispersant, temporary wet strength agent, and deaerating agent fall in the above ranges, tensile strength (MD, machine direction) of 25 N/cm or more, tensile strength (CD, cross direction) of 15 N/cm or more, wet tensile strength (MD, machine direction) of 7 N/cm or more, and wet tensile strength (CD, cross direction) of 5 N/cm or more, required for a fabric for wet wipes, may be exhibited.

In addition, a method of manufacturing a fabric for wet wipes according to the present invention is described. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the process of manufacturing a fabric for wet wipes according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the method of manufacturing the fabric for wet wipes according to the present invention includes a first step of preparing raw materials, a second step of preparing a raw material mixture by mixing the prepared raw materials, a third step of fibrillating the prepared raw material mixture, a fourth step of laminating the fibrillated raw material mixture on a mesh belt, a fifth step of dehydrating the raw material mixture laminated on the mesh belt, and a sixth step of performing drying.

In the first step of preparing the raw materials, a solvent, bleached kraft pulp, and bamboo pulp, and, as necessary, a dispersant, a temporary wet strength agent, a deaerating agent, and a softening agent are prepared.

Here, the solvent may be water so that individual raw materials may be evenly mixed.

In the second step of preparing the raw material mixture by mixing the prepared raw materials, the bleached kraft pulp and the bamboo pulp, and, as necessary, the dispersant, the temporary wet strength agent, the deaerating agent, and the softening agent are added to water as a solvent and stirred, preparing a slurry-like raw material mixture.

Here, 9900 to 11,000 parts by weight of water, 90 to 110 parts by weight of the bleached kraft pulp, 5 to 15 parts by weight of the bamboo pulp, 0.01 to 0.10 parts by weight of the dispersant, 4 to 15 parts by weight of the temporary wet strength agent, 0.01 to 0.25 parts by weight of the deaerating agent, and 1 to 3 parts by weight of the softening agent are preferably mixed, and 9900 to 11,000 parts by weight of water, 98 to 102 parts by weight of the bleached kraft pulp, 10 to 12 parts by weight of the bamboo pulp, 0.02 to 0.06 parts by weight of the dispersant, 4 to 11 parts by weight of the temporary wet strength agent, 0.01 to 0.15 parts by weight of the deaerating agent, and 0.5 to 3 parts by weight of the softening agent are more preferably mixed.

Meanwhile, here, water, which is the solvent, is preferably preheated to 25 to 45° C. This is because if the water temperature is less than the above lower limit, dispersibility and dehydration performance may become poor, whereas if the water temperature exceeds the above upper limit, the mesh, etc. may undergo excessive strain during lamination. Hence, the water temperature of the solvent preferably falls in the above range.

The raw material mixture at the above mixing ratio is stirred at a rate of 900 to 1100 RPM for about 15 to 25 minutes, obtaining a raw material mixture slurry.

Specific properties related to the bleached kraft pulp, bamboo pulp, dispersant, temporary wet strength agent, deaerating agent, and softening agent are described in detail above, so a redundant description thereof will be omitted.

In the third step of fibrillating the prepared raw material mixture, the bleached kraft pulp is fibrillated. Specifically, fibrillation may be performed by passing through a refiner once at a Pressure of 130 to 160 N.

When fibrillation is performed in this way, strength of the fabric may be increased while reducing the amount of the wet strength agent or temporary wet strength agent used.

In the fourth step of laminating the fibrillated raw material mixture on the mesh belt, the prepared slurry-like raw material mixture is laminated on the mesh belt. Specifically, the mixture is supplied to a mesh belt moving at a speed of 25 to 45 m per minute, and the supply amount is preferably 5,000 to 8000 L/min.

In the fifth step of dehydrating the raw material mixture laminated on the mesh belt, water, which is the solvent, is primarily removed by dehydrating the raw material mixture laminated on the mesh belt.

As such, dehydration is performed by primary vacuum application as soon as the raw material mixture is laminated on the mesh belt, followed by additional secondary vacuum application.

In the primary vacuum dehydration process, four-stage vacuum pressure application is carried out: 0 to 5 cmHg in the first stage, 10 to 20 cmHg in the second stage, 30 to 40 cmHg in the third stage, and 50 to 65 cmHg in the fourth stage. In this process, bonding between fibers is induced by dehydration, resulting in formation of a porous nonwoven fabric.

In the secondary vacuum dehydration process, vacuum pressure in the range of about 18 to 22 cmHg is applied, removing residual water and simultaneously tightening bonds between fibers.

Finally, in the sixth step of performing drying, residual water is completely removed, which is achieved by sequential passing through a hot air dryer and a drum dryer. Specifically, after first drying in a hot air dryer operating at 100 to 170° C., more preferably 110 to 130° C., second hot air drying at 135 to 145° C., third hot air drying at 100 to 110° C., and fourth drying of passing through a drum dryer at 135 to 145° C. are carried out sequentially.

Here, if drying is carried out at a high temperature at the beginning of the drying process, drying may occur rapidly, causing shrinkage or breaks. On the other hand, if drying is carried out at a very low temperature, bonding between binder fibers may be incomplete, and residual water content after winding may be high, which has negative effects such as fluffing or weakened bonding force in the subsequent process. Hence, drying is preferably performed under four-stage drying conditions including the first drying to the fourth drying as described above.

Thereafter, as necessary, slitting using a slitting device and then storing may be additionally performed.

A better understanding of the present invention may be obtained through the following examples and test example. These examples and test example are merely set forth to illustrate the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

A raw material mixture was prepared by mixing 10,000 L of water heated to 30° C. with 100 kg of bleached kraft pulp having an average diameter of 10 to 20 μm and an average length of 1 to 4 mm, 11 kg of bamboo pulp having an average diameter of 5 to 15 μm and an average length of 1 to 4 mm, 0.05 kg of a nonionic surfactant, 10 kg of an amine-based temporary wet strength agent, 1 kg of a softening agent, and 0.1 kg of a higher alcohol-based deaerating agent followed by stirring for about 20 minutes.

The prepared raw material mixture was fibrillated by passing through a refiner once at a pressure of 140 to 145 N so that freeness fell in the range of 500 to 550 CSF, after which the prepared raw material mixture was laminated on a microfiber mesh belt. Here, the transfer speed of the mesh belt was 35 in/min, and the supplied raw material mixture was maintained at 6,500 L/min.

Moreover, primary dehydration was performed by natural dehydration in the first stage at a vacuum pressure of 0 cmHg as soon as the raw material mixture was laminated on the mesh belt, followed by application of a vacuum pressure of 10 cmHg in the second stage, a vacuum pressure of 30 cmHg in the third stage, and a vacuum pressure of 50 cmHg in the fourth stage. After primary dehydration, secondary dehydration was performed at a vacuum pressure of 20 cmHg.

Finally, a fabric for wet wipes was manufactured by removing residual water by first drying in a hot air dryer operating at 110° C. to 130° C., second drying at 135 to 145° C., third drying at 100 to 110° C., and passing through a drum dryer at 135 to 145° C.

Example 2

A fabric for wet wipes was manufactured under the same conditions as in Example 1, with the exception that the amount of the nonionic surfactant was changed to 0.025 kg.

Example 3

A fabric for wet wipes was manufactured under the same conditions as in Example 1, with the exception that the amount of the amine-based temporary wet strength agent was changed to 5 kg.

Example 4

A fabric for wet wipes was manufactured under the same conditions as in Example 1, with the exception that the amount of the higher alcohol-based deaerating agent was changed to 0.05 kg.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES

Comparative Example 1

A fabric for wet wipes was manufactured under the same conditions as in Example 1, with the exception that a raw material mixture was composed of 10,000 L of water, 106 kg of bleached kraft pulp having an average diameter of 10 to 20 μm and an average length of 1 to 4 mm, 6 kg of bamboo pulp having an average diameter of 5 to 15 μm and an average length of 1 to 4 mm, 0.05 kg of a nonionic surfactant, 10 kg of a temporary wet strength agent, 1 kg of a softening agent, and 0.1 kg of a higher alcohol-based deaerating agent.

Comparative Example 2

A fabric for wet wipes was manufactured under the same conditions as Example 1, with the exception that the amount of the bleached kraft pulp was changed to 89 kg and the amount of the bamboo pulp was changed to 22 kg.

Comparative Example 3

A fabric for wet wipes was manufactured under the same conditions as in Example 1, with the exception that the amount of the bleached kraft pulp was changed to 78 kg and the amount of the bamboo pulp was changed to 33 kg.

Comparative Example 4

A fabric for wet wipes was manufactured under the same conditions as Example 1, with the exception that the amount of the bleached kraft pulp was changed to 67 kg and the amount of the bamboo pulp was changed to 44 kg.

Comparative Example 5

A fabric for wet wipes was manufactured under the same conditions as Example 1, with the exception that the amount of the bleached kraft pulp was changed to 56 kg and the amount of the bamboo pulp was changed to 56 kg.

	TABLE 1
		Bleached	Bamboo	Disper-	Temporary	Softening	Deaerating
	Water	kraft pulp	pulp	sant	wet strength	agent	agent
	(L)	(kg)	(kg)	(kg)	agent (kg)	(kg)	(kg)

Example 1	10,000	100	11	0.05	10	1	0.1
Example 2	10,000	100	11	0.025	10	1	0.1
Example 3	10,000	100	11	0.05	5	1	0.1
Example 4	10,000	100	11	0.05	10	1	0.05
Comparative	10,000	106	6	0.05	10	1	0.1
Example 1
Comparative	10,000	89	22	0.05	10	1	0.1
Example 2
Comparative	10,000	78	33	0.05	10	1	0.1
Example 3
Comparative	10,000	67	44	0.05	10	1	0.1
Example 4
Comparative	10,000	56	56	0.05	10	1	0.1
Example 5

<Test Example>

The properties of the fabric for wet wipes manufactured in each of Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Examples 1 to 5 were measured, and the results thereof are shown in Table 2 below.

For basis weight according to the TAPPI T 410 standard, 10 or more samples having a size of 100 cm² were collected, the weight of each sample was measured, and the average value was calculated, followed by correction (correction value×100) to determine the basis weight.

The thickness of a nonwoven fabric was measured using a thickness gauge according to the TAPPI T 411 standard, tensile strength was measured according to the KS K 0743 standard, and wet tensile strength was measured according to the ASTM D 828 standard.

The antibacterial test was conducted according to KSK 0693-2001 using two species, namely Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella.

Here, Staphylococcus aureus was assigned the deposit number ATCC 6538p, Klebsiella was assigned the deposit number ATCC 4352, and the inoculum concentration for both species was 1.0*10⁵ cells/ml.

	TABLE 2
			Tensile	Tensile	Wet tensile	Wet tensile
			strength	strength	strength	strength
			(MD,	(CD,	(MD,	(CD,
	Basis		machine	cross	machine	cross	Anti-
	weight	Thickness	direction)	direction)	direction)	direction)	bacterial
	(g/m2)	(mm)	(N/cm)	(N/cm)	(N/cm)	(N/cm)	(%)

Example 1	42	0.16	25.4	15.8	7.8	5.4	99.9
Example 2	43	0.15	25.1	15.2	7.1	5.1	99.9
Example 3	41	0.16	25.5	15.1	7.3	5.0	99.9
Example 4	42	0.15	25.1	15.9	7.1	5.4	99.9
Comparative	43	0.16	23.8	13.5	5.5	3.5	99.9
Example 1
Comparative	43	0.16	22.4	12.3	4.8	3.1	99.9
Example 2
Comparative	41	0.15	20.4	11.1	4.3	2.5	99.9
Example 3
Comparative	42	0.15	18.5	10.2	3.5	2.3	99.9
Example 4
Comparative	41	0.15	16.5	8.9	2.9	1.8	99.9
Example 5

As summarized in Table 2, the fabric for wet wipes manufactured by the manufacturing method of each of Examples 1 to 4 according to the present invention exhibited a basis weight of 41 to 43 g/m², a thickness of 0.15 to 0.16 mm, tensile strength (MD, machine direction) of 25.1 to 25.5 N/cm, tensile strength (CD, cross direction) of 15.1 to 15.9 N/cm, wet tensile strength (MD, machine direction) of 7.1 to 7.8 N/cm, wet tensile strength (CD, cross direction) of 5.0 to 5.4 N/cm, and antibacterial activity of 99.9%, and was thus regarded as superior.

In contrast, the fabric for wet wipes manufactured by the manufacturing method of each of Comparative Examples 1 to 5, in which the amount of the bleached kraft pulp was low and the amount of the bamboo pulp was high compared to Examples, exhibited tensile strength (MD, machine direction) of 16.5 to 23.8 N/cm and tensile strength (CD, cross direction) of 8.9 to 13.5 N/cm.

Moreover, wet tensile strength (MD, machine direction) was 2.9 to 5.5 N/cm, and wet tensile strength (CD, cross direction) was 1.8 to 3.5 N/cm, which were not suitable for products.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described as above. A person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that the present invention may be implemented in a modified form without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments are to be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive way. The scope of the present invention is indicated in the claims, not the foregoing description, and equivalent scopes should be construed as included in the present invention.