Method of producing absorbent structures with high wet strength, absorbency, and softness

Abstract

A method of making an absorbent structure including forming a stock mixture of fibers, a cationic wet strength resin, an anionic polyacrylamide and a cellulase enzyme, and at least partially drying the stock mixture to form a web.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method of producing wet laid disposable absorbent structures of high wet strength, absorbency, and softness.

BACKGROUND

Disposable paper towels, napkins, and facial tissue are absorbent structures that need to remain strong when wet. For example, paper towels need to retain their strength when absorbing liquid spills, cleaning windows and mirrors, scrubbing countertops and floors, scrubbing and drying dishes, washing/cleaning bathroom sinks and toilets, and even drying/cleaning hands and faces. A disposable towel that can perform these demanding tasks, while also being soft, has a competitive advantage as the towel could be multi-purpose and be used as a napkin and facial tissue. The same can be said about a napkin or facial tissue, which could become a multi-purpose product if the right combination of quality attributes can be obtained of which wet strength, absorbency, and softness are key attributes.

The industrial methods or technologies used to produce these absorbent structures are numerous. The technologies that use water to form the cellulosic (or other natural or synthetic fiber type) webs that comprise the towel or wipe are called Water-Laid Technologies. These include Through Air Drying (TAD), Uncreped Through Air Drying (UCTAD), Conventional Wet Crepe (CWC), Conventional Dry Crepe (CDC), ATMOS, NTT, QRT and ETAD. Technologies that use air to form the webs that comprise the towel or wipe are called Air-Laid Technologies. To enhance the strength and absorbency of these towels and wipes, more than one layer of web (or ply) can be laminated together using strictly a mechanical process or preferably a mechanical process that utilizes an adhesive.

Absorbent structures can be produced using both Water or Air-Laid technologies. The Water-Laid technologies of Conventional Dry and Wet Crepe are the predominant method to make these structures. These methods comprise forming a nascent web in a forming structure, transferring the web to a dewatering felt where it is pressed to remove moisture, and adhering the web to a Yankee Dryer. The web is then dried and creped from the Yankee Dryer and reeled. When creped at a solids content of less than 90%, the process is referred to as Conventional Wet Crepe. When creped at a solids content of greater than 90%, the process is referred to as Conventional Dry Crepe. These processes can be further understood by reviewing Yankee Dryer and Drying, A TAPPI PRESS Anthology, pg 215-219 which is herein incorporated by reference. These methods are well understood and easy to operate at high speeds and production rates. Energy consumption per ton is low since nearly half of the water removed from the web is through drainage and mechanical pressing. Unfortunately, the sheet pressing also compacts the web which lowers web thickness and resulting absorbency.

Through Air Drying (TAD) and Uncreped Through Air Drying (UCTAD) processes are Wet-Laid technologies that avoid compaction of the web during drying and thereby produce absorbent structures of superior thickness and absorbency when compared to structures of similar basis weight and material inputs that are produced using the CWP or CDC process. Patents which describe creped through air dried products include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,994,771, 4,102,737, 4,191,609, 4,529,480, 467,859, and 5,510,002, while U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,551 describes an uncreped through air dried product.

The remaining Wet-Laid processes termed ATMOS, ETAD, NTT, STT and QRT can also be utilized to produce absorbent structures. Each process/method utilizes some pressing to dewater the web, or a portion of the web, resulting in absorbent structures with absorbent capacities that correlate to the amount of pressing utilized when all other variables are the same. The ATMOS process and products are documented in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,744,726, 6,821,391, 7,387,706, 7,351,307, 7,951,269, 8,118,979, 8,440,055, 7,951,269 or U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,118,979, 8,440,055, 8,196,314, 8,402,673, 8,435,384, 8,544,184, 8,382,956, 8,580,083, 7,476,293, 7,510,631, 7,686,923, 7,931,781, 8,075,739, 8,092,652, 7,905,989, 7,582,187, 7,691,230. The ETAD process and products are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,339,378, 7,442,278, and 7,494,563. The NTT process and products are disclosed in international patent application WO 2009/061079 A1 and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. US 2011/0180223 A1 and US 2010/0065234 A1. The QRT process is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0156450 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,811,418. The STT process is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,887,673.

To impart wet strength to the absorbent structure in the wet laid process, typically a cationic strength component is added to the furnish during stock preparation. The cationic strength component can include any polyethyleneimine, polyethylenimine, polyaminoamide-epihalohydrin (preferably epichlorohydrin), polyamine-epichlorohydrin, polyamide, or polyvinyl amide wet strength resin. Useful cationic thermosetting polyaminoamide-epihalohydrin and polyamine-epichlorohydrin resins are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,239,047, 2,926,154, 3,049,469, 3,058,873, 3,066,066, 3,125,552, 3,186,900, 3,197,427, 3,224,986, 3,224,990, 3,227,615, 3,240,664, 3,813,362, 3,778,339, 3,733,290, 3,227,671, 3,239,491, 3,240,761, 3,248,280, 3,250,664, 3,311,594, 3,329,657, 3,332,834, 3,332,901, 3,352,833, 3,248,280, 3,442,754, 3,459,697, 3,483,077, 3,609,126, 4,714,736, 3,058,873, 2,926,154, 3,877,510, 4,515,657, 4,537,657, 4,501,862, 4,147,586, 4,129,528 and 3,855,158.

Absorbent structures are also made using the Air-Laid process. This process spreads the cellulosic, or other natural or synthetic fibers, in an air stream that is directed onto a moving belt. These fibers collect together to form a web that can be thermally bonded or spray bonded with resin and cured. Compared to Wet-Laid, the web is thicker, softer, more absorbent and also stronger. It is known for having a textile-like surface and drape. Spun-Laid is a variation of the Air-Laid process, which produces the web in one continuous process where plastic fibers (polyester or polypropylene) are spun (melted, extruded, and blown) and then directly spread into a web in one continuous process. This technique has gained popularity as it can generate faster belt speeds and reduce costs.

To further enhance the strength of the absorbent structure, more than one layer of web (or ply) can be laminated together using strictly a mechanical process or preferably a mechanical process that utilizes an adhesive. It is generally understood that a multi-ply structure can have an absorbent capacity greater than the sum of the absorbent capacities of the individual single plies. It is thought this difference is due to the inter-ply storage space created by the addition of an extra ply. When producing multi-ply absorbent structures, it is critical that the plies are bonded together in a manner that will hold up when subjected to the forces encountered when the structure is used by the consumer. Scrubbing tasks such as cleaning countertops, dishes, and windows all impart forces upon the structure which can cause the structure to rupture and tear. When the bonding between plies fails, the plies move against each other imparting frictional forces at the ply interface. This frictional force at the ply interface can induce failure (rupture or tearing) of the structure thus reducing the overall effectiveness of the product to perform scrubbing and cleaning tasks.

There are many methods used to join or laminate multiple plies of an absorbent structure to produce a multiply absorbent structure. One method commonly used is embossing. Embossing is typically performed by one of three processes: tip to tip, nested, and/or rubber to steel embossing. Tip to tip embossing comprises axially parallel jumbo rolls of the absorbent structure juxtaposed to form a nip between the crests of the embossing tips of the opposing emboss rolls. The nip in nested embossing has the embossing tips on one emboss roll meshed between the embossing tips of the other. Rubber to steel embossing comprises a steel roll with embossing tips opposed to a roll having an elastomeric roll cover wherein the two rolls are axially parallel and juxtaposed to form a nip where the embossing tips of the emboss roll mesh with the elastomeric roll cover of the opposing roll.

For example, during the tip to tip embossing process of a two ply absorbent structure web, each web is fed through separate nips formed between separate embossing rolls and pressure rolls with the embossing tips on the embossing rolls producing compressed regions in each web. The two webs are then fed through a common nip formed between the embossing rolls where the embossing tips on the two rolls bring the webs together in a face to face contacting relationship.

By comparison, nested embossing works by having the crests of the embossing tips on one embossing roll intermesh with the embossing tips on the opposing embossing roll with the nip formed between the two rolls. As the web is passed between the two embossing rolls, a pattern is produced on the surface of the web by the interconnectivity of the tips of one roll with the open spaces of the opposing roll.

Rubber to steel embossing works by having one hard embossing roll with embossing tips in a desired pattern and a back-side soft impression roll, often having an elastomeric roll cover aligned in an axially parallel configuration to form a nip between the rolls. As the web is passed through the nip between the rolls, the embossing tips impress the web against and into the rubber to deform the structure of the web.

It is possible to marry two or more webs of an absorbent structure (or different absorbent structures) together using an adhesive. In an exemplary nested embossing process an adhesive applicator roll may be aligned in an axially parallel arrangement with one of the two embossing rolls forming a nip therewith, such that the adhesive applicator roll is upstream of the nip formed between the two embossing rolls. The adhesive applicator roll transfers adhesive to the embossed webs on the embossing roll at the crests of the embossing knobs. The crests of the embossing knobs typically do not touch the perimeter of the opposing roll at the nip formed there between, necessitating the addition of a marrying roll to apply pressure for lamination. The marrying roll forms a nip with the same embossing roll forming the nip with the adhesive applicator roll, downstream of the nip formed between the two embossing rolls. An example of this lamination method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,554.

Other attempts to laminate absorbent structure webs include bonding the plies at junction lines wherein the lines include individual pressure spot bonds. The spot bonds are formed by the use of thermoplastic low viscosity liquid such as melted wax, paraffin, or hot melt adhesive, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,920. Another method laminates webs of absorbent structure by thermally bonding the webs together using polypropylene melt blown fibers, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,202. Other methods use metlblown adhesive applied to one face of an absorbent structure web in a spiral pattern, a stripe pattern, or random patterns before pressing the web against the face of a second absorbent structure, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,911,173, 4,098,632, 4,949,688, 4,891249, 4,996,091 and 5,143,776.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method of producing single or multi-ply, cellulosic based, wet laid, disposable, absorbent structures of high wet strength, absorbency, and softness by utilizing cationic wet strength resin(s) with anionic polyacrylamide(s) and cellulase enzyme(s) in the stock preparation stage of the manufacturing process of any wet laid manufacturing process.

The cationic wet strength resin can be one or a combination of the following: polyethyleneimine, polyethylenimine, polyaminoamide-epihalohydrin (preferably epichlorohydrin) polyamine-epichlorohydrin, polyamide, or polyvinyl amide wet strength resin.

The anionic polyacrylamide(s) can be of various molecular weights and charge density.

The cellulase enzyme(s) can be mono-component or multi-component endo-cellulases, exo-cellulases, or cellobiase cellulases.

This invention allows for the removal of carboxymethylcellulose, CMC, and limits mechanical refining, both of which can adversely affect softness by imparting stiffness and high surface roughness to the absorbent structure.

The absorbent structures of preferred application of the invention's method are disposable paper towel, napkin, and facial products.

An absorbent structure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has a CD wet tensile strength value that is at least 35% of the value of a CD dry tensile strength value of the absorbent structure.

In at least one embodiment, the absorbent structure comprises two or more plies.

In at least one embodiment, each ply comprises a multi-layer web.

In at least one embodiment, the absorbent structure is a paper towel product.

In at least one embodiment, the absorbent structure has a HF softness of at least 46.

In at least one embodiment, the absorbent structure has a TS750 value of less than 60.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be presented in more detail in the following detailed description and the accompanying figures which illustrate by way of example principles of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more fully understood with reference to the following, detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a three layer tissue in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system for manufacturing tissue according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a system for manufacturing a multi-ply absorbent product according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows an absorbent product that has an embossed pattern in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a list of steps performed during absorbency testing of absorbent products.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As discussed, to impart wet strength to the absorbent structure in a wet laid process, a cationic strength component may be added to the furnish during stock preparation. To impart capacity of the cationic strength resins it is well known in the art to add water soluble carboxyl containing polymers to the furnish in conjunction with the cationic resin. Suitable carboxyl containing polymers include carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,058,873, 3,049,469 and 3,998,690. However, the use of CMC can be disadvantageous because it prohibits the use of cellulase enzymes, which would otherwise react with the CMC to cleave bonds and shorten the degree of polymerization of the molecule, rendering it much less effective. Anionic polyacrylamide polymers are an alternative to using carboxyl containing polymers to improve wet strength development in conjunction with cationic strength resins, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,049,469 and 6,939,443.

When replacing CMC with an anionic polyacrylamide to boost the efficacy of the cationic wet strength resin, the use of cellulase enzymes becomes possible. Cellulase is generally referred to as an enzyme composition derived from a microorganism, fungi, or bacterial that can catalyze the hydrolysis of B-1-4 glycosidic bonds of a cellulose molecule or its derivatives. There are three types of cellulases, each having a different activation towards the cellulose molecule. The three types are endo-cellulases, exo-cellulases, and cellobiase cellulases. Cellulases can be used to modify the surface of the cellulose molecules, which are contained in the fibers used to make absorbent structures, and disrupt the crystalline structure of the cellulose to fibrillate the fiber, thereby enhancing the fiber to fiber bonding during web formation and the final strength of the absorbent structure. The ability to provide enhanced fibrillation and fiber to fiber bonding can limit or eliminate the need for mechanical refining to fibrillate the fiber, which can reduce bulk, absorbency, and softness of the absorbent structure.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, one or more cationic strength resins, one or more anionic polyacrylamides (APAM) and one or more cellulase enzymes are added to the pulp slurry (furnish) during the stock preparation stage of an absorbent product manufacturing process. Without being bound by theory, the APAM promotes the wet strength imparting capacity of the cationic strength resins, and the cellulase provides enhanced fibrillation and fiber to fiber bonding so that mechanical refining can be minimized or eliminated.

The following description relates to a multi-layer tissue product, and is provided to illustrate one possible application of the present invention. However, it should be appreciated that inventive aspects of the present invention involving the combined use of APAM and cellulase may be applicable to any wet-laid manufacturing process for an absorbent paper product.

FIG. 1 shows a three layer tissue, generally designated by reference number 1, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The general structure and manufacturing process of the tissue 1 are as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,968,517 (assigned to applicant), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The tissue 1 has external layers 2 and 4 as well as an internal, core layer 3. External layer 2 is composed primarily of hardwood fibers 20 whereas external layer 4 and core layer 3 are composed of a combination of hardwood fibers 20 and softwood fibers 21. The internal core layer 3 includes an ionic surfactant functioning as a debonder 5 and a non-ionic surfactant functioning as a softener 6. As explained in further detail below, external layers 2 and 4 also include non-ionic surfactant that migrated from the internal core layer 3 during formation of the tissue 1. External layer 2 further includes a dry strength additive 7. External layer 4 further includes both a dry strength additive 7 and a temporary wet strength additive 8.

Pulp mixes for exterior layers of the tissue are prepared with a blend of primarily hardwood fibers. For example, the pulp mix for at least one exterior layer is a blend containing about 70 percent or greater hardwood fibers relative to the total percentage of fibers that make up the blend. As a further example, the pulp mix for at least one exterior layer is a blend containing about 80 percent hardwood fibers relative to the total percentage of fibers that make up the blend.

Pulp mixes for the interior layer of the tissue are prepared with a blend of primarily softwood fibers. For example, the pulp mix for the interior layer is a blend containing about 70 percent or greater softwood fibers relative to the total percentage of fibers that make up the blend. As a further example, the pulp mix for the interior layer is a blend containing about 90-100 percent softwood fibers relative to the total percentage of fibers that make up the blend.

As known in the art, pulp mixes are subjected to a dilution stage in which water is added to the mixes so as to form a slurry. After the dilution stage but prior to reaching the headbox, each of the pulp mixes are dewatered to obtain a thick stock of about 95% water. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, wet end additives are introduced into the thick stock pulp mixes of at least the interior layer. In an exemplary embodiment, a non-ionic surfactant and an ionic surfactant are added to the pulp mix for the interior layer. Suitable non-ionic surfactants have a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of less than 10, and preferably less than or equal to 8.5. An exemplary non-ionic surfactant is an ethoxylated vegetable oil or a combination of two or more ethoxylated vegetable oils. Other exemplary non-ionic surfactants include ethylene oxide, propylene oxide adducts of fatty alcohols, alkyl glycoside esters, and alkylethoxylated esters.

Suitable ionic surfactants include but are not limited to quaternary amines and cationic phospholipids. An exemplary ionic surfactant is 1,2-di(heptadecyl)-3-methyl-4,5-dihydroimidazol-3-ium methyl sulfate. Other exemplary ionic surfactants include (2-hydroxyethyl)methylbis[2-[(1-oxooctadecyl)oxy]ethyl]ammonium methyl sulfate, fatty dialkyl amine quaternary salts, mono fatty alkyl tertiary amine salts, unsaturated fatty alkyl amine salts, linear alkyl sulfonates, alkyl-benzene sulfonates and trimethyl-3-[(1-oxooctadecyl)amino]propylammonium methyl sulfate.

In an exemplary embodiment, the ionic surfactant may function as a debonder while the non-ionic surfactant functions as a softener. Typically, the debonder operates by breaking bonds between fibers to provide flexibility, however an unwanted side effect is that the overall strength of the tissue can be reduced by excessive exposure to debonder. Typical debonders are quaternary amine compounds such as trimethyl cocoammonium chloride, trymethyloleylammonium chloride, dimethyldi(hydrogenated-tallow)ammonium chloride and trimethylstearylammonium chloride.

After being added to the interior layer, the non-ionic surfactant (functioning as a softener) migrates through the other layers of the tissue while the ionic surfactant (functioning as a debonder) stays relatively fixed within the interior layer. Since the debonder remains substantially within the interior layer of the tissue, softer hardwood fibers (that may have lacked sufficient tensile strength if treated with a debonder) can be used for the exterior layers. Further, because only the interior of the tissue is treated, less debonder is required as compared to when the whole tissue is treated with debonder.

In an exemplary embodiment, the ratio of ionic surfactant to non-ionic surfactant added to the pulp mix for the interior layer of the tissue is between 1:4 and 1:90 parts by weight and preferably about 1:8 parts by weight. In particular, when the ionic surfactant is a quaternary amine debonder, reducing the concentration relative to the amount of non-ionic surfactant can lead to an improved tissue. Excess debonder, particularly when introduced as a wet end additive, can weaken the tissue, while an insufficient amount of debonder may not provide the tissue with sufficient flexibility. Because of the migration of the non-ionic surfactant to the exterior layers of the tissue, the ratio of ionic surfactant to non-ionic surfactant in the core layer may be significantly lower in the actual tissue compared to the pulp mix.

In an exemplary embodiment, a dry strength additive is added to the thick stock mix for at least one of the exterior layers. The dry strength additive may be, for example, amphoteric starch, added in a range of about 1 to 40 kg/ton. In another exemplary embodiment, a wet strength additive is added to the thick stock mix for at least one of the exterior layers. The wet strength additive may be, for example, glyoxalated polyacrylamide, commonly known as GPAM, added in a range of about 0.25 to 5 kg/ton. In a further exemplary embodiment, both a dry strength additive, preferably amphoteric starch, and a wet strength additive, preferably GPAM, are added to one of the exterior layers. Without being bound by theory, it is believed that the combination of both amphoteric starch and GPAM in a single layer when added as wet end additives provides a synergistic effect with regard to strength of the finished tissue to reduce linting. Other exemplary temporary wet-strength agents include aldehyde functionalized cationic starch, aldehyde functionalized polyacrylamides, acrolein co-polymers and cis-hydroxyl polysaccharide (guar gum and locust bean gum) used in combination with any of the above mentioned compounds.

In an exemplary embodiment, APAM is added to the thick stock mix for at least one of the exterior layers along with the wet strength additive. The use of APAM allows for the addition of cellulase to the thick stock mix so that mechanical refining can be limited or eliminated.

In addition to amphoteric starch, suitable dry strength additives may include but are not limited to polyvinyl amine, glyoxalated polyacrylamide, cationic starch, carboxy methyl cellulose, guar gum, locust bean gum, cationic polyacrylamide, polyvinyl alcohol, anionic polyacrylamide or a combination thereof.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system for manufacturing tissue, generally designated by reference number 100, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The system 100 includes an first exterior layer fan pump 102, a core layer fan pump 104, a second exterior layer fan pump 106, a headbox 108, a forming section 110, a drying section 112 and a calendar section 114. The first and second exterior layer fan pumps 102, 106 deliver the pulp mixes of the first and second external layers 2, 4 to the headbox 108, and the core layer fan pump 104 delivers the pulp mix of the core layer 3 to the headbox 108. As is known in the art, the headbox delivers a wet web of pulp onto a forming wire within the forming section 110. The wet web is laid on the forming wire with the core layer 3 disposed between the first and second external layers 2, 4.

After formation in the forming section 110, the partially dewatered web is transferred to the drying section 112, Within the drying the section 112, the tissue of the present invention may be dried using conventional through air drying processes. In an exemplary embodiment, the tissue of the present invention is dried to a humidity of about 7 to 20% using a through air drier manufactured by Metso Corporation, of Helsinki, Finland. In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, two or more through air drying stages are used in series. Without being bound by theory, it is believed that the use of multiple drying stages improves uniformity in the tissue, thus reducing tears.

In an exemplary embodiment, the tissue of the present invention is patterned during the through air drying process. Such patterning can be achieved through the use of a TAD fabric, such as a G-weave (Prolux 003) or M-weave (Prolux 005) TAD fabric.

After the through air drying stage, the tissue of the present invention may be further dried in a second phase using a Yankee drying drum. In an exemplary embodiment, a creping adhesive is applied to the drum prior to the tissue contacting the drum. A creping blade is then used to remove the tissue from the Yankee drying drum. The tissue may then be calendered in a subsequent stage within the calendar section 114. According to an exemplary embodiment, calendaring may be accomplished using a number of calendar rolls (not shown) that deliver a calendering pressure in the range of 0-100 pounds per linear inch (PLI). In general, increased calendering pressure is associated with reduced caliper and a smoother tissue surface.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a ceramic coated creping blade is used to remove the tissue from the Yankee drying drum. Ceramic coated creping blades result in reduced adhesive build up and aid in achieving higher run speeds. Without being bound by theory, it is believed that the ceramic coating of the creping blades provides a less adhesive surface than metal creping blades and is more resistant to edge wear that can lead to localized spots of adhesive accumulation. The ceramic creping blades allow for a greater amount of creping adhesive to be used which in turn provides improved sheet integrity and faster run speeds.

In addition to the use of wet end additives, the tissue of the present invention may also be treated with topical or surface deposited additives. Examples of surface deposited additives include softeners for increasing fiber softness and skin lotions. Examples of topical softeners include but are not limited to quaternary ammonium compounds, including, but not limited to, the dialkyldimethylammonium salts (e.g. ditallowdimethylammonium chloride, ditallowdimethylammonium methyl sulfate, di(hydrogenated tallow)dimethyl ammonium chloride, etc.). Another class of chemical softening agents include the well-known organo-reactive polydimethyl siloxane ingredients, including amino functional polydimethyl siloxane. zinc stearate, aluminum stearate, sodium stearate, calcium stearate, magnesium stearate, spermaceti, and steryl oil.

After the tissue basesheet is produced a laminate, composed of two webs/plies are laminated together in a face-to face relationship using an aqueous adhesive. The adhesives used to laminate the plies of absorbent structure can be water soluble of the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, starch based or mixtures thereof. The mixture is comprised of 1% to 10% by weight of the adhesives. Additionally; the mixture can contain up 10% by weight of a water soluble cationic resin selected from the group consisting of polyamide-epichlorohydrin resins, glyoxalated polyacrylamide resins, polyethyleneimine resins, polyethylenimine resins, or mixtures thereof. The remainder of the mixture is composed of water. This mixture is heated and maintained to a temperature between 90 deg F. to 150 deg F., preferably to 120 F.

The adhesive is heated and maintained at temperature utilizing an insulated stainless steel tank with heating elements uniformly distributed throughout the interior heating surface. The large amount of surface area heated provides uniform heating controlled by an adjustable thermostat. The tank is designed with an agitator that to ensure proper mixing and heat transfer.

The adhesive is applied using an applicator roll, aligned in an axially parallel arrangement with one of the two embossing rolls forming a nip therewith, such that the adhesive applicator roll is upstream of the nip formed between the two embossing rolls. The adhesive applicator roll transfers adhesive to the embossed webs on the embossing roll at the crests of the embossing knobs. The crests of the embossing knobs typically do not touch the perimeter of the opposing roll at the nip formed there between necessitating the addition of a marrying roll to apply pressure for lamination. The marrying roll forms a nip with the same embossing roll forming the nip with the adhesive applicator roll, downstream of the nip formed between the two embossing rolls.

FIG. 3 shows an apparatus for manufacturing a laminate of two plies of an absorbent product that are joined to each other, in a face-to-face relationship, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention to form an absorbent product, such as a paper towel. As shown in the figure, two webs 200, 201 of single ply tissue, which may be manufactured, for example, according to a method described above, are fed to respective pairs of mated pressure rolls 203, 205 and substantially axially parallel embossing rolls 204, 206. A first web 200 is thus fed through a nip 202a formed by pressure roll 203 and embossing roll 204 (also known as a pattern roll) and a second web 201 is likewise fed through a nip 202b between pressure roll 205 and embossing roll 206. The embossing rolls 204, 206, which rotate in the illustrated directions, impress an embossment pattern onto the webs as they pass through nip 202a and 202b. After being embossed, each ply may have a plurality of embossments protruding outwardly from the plane of the ply towards the adjacent ply. The adjacent ply likewise may have opposing protuberances protruding towards the first ply. If a three ply product is produced by adding a third pair of mated pressure and embossing rolls, the central ply may have embossments extending outwardly in both directions.

To perform the embossments at nips 202a and 202b, the embossing rolls 204, 206 have embossing tips or embossing knobs that extend radially outward from the rolls to make the embossments. In the illustrated embodiment, embossing is performed by nested embossing in which the crests of the embossing knobs on one embossing roll intermesh with the embossing knobs on the opposing embossing roll and a nip is formed between the embossing rolls. As the web is fed through nips 202a and 202b, a pattern is produced on the surface of the web by the interconnectivity of the knobs on an embossing roll with the open spaces of the respective pressure roll.

An adhesive applicator roll 212 is positioned upstream of the nip 213 formed between the two embossing rolls and is aligned in an axially parallel arrangement with one of the two embossing rolls to form a nip therewith. The heated adhesive is fed from an adhesive tank 207 via a conduit 210 to applicator roll 212. The applicator roll 212 transfers heated adhesive to an interior side of embossed ply 200 to adhere the at least two plies 200, 201 together, wherein the interior side is the side of ply 200 that comes into a face-to-face relationship with ply 201 for lamination. The adhesive is applied to the ply at the crests of the embossing knobs 205 on embossing roll 204.

Notably, in the present invention, the adhesive is heated and maintained at a desired temperature utilizing, in embodiments, an adhesive tank 207, which is an insulated stainless steel tank that may have heating elements 208 that are substantially uniformly distributed throughout the interior heating surface. In this manner, a large amount of surface area may be heated relatively uniformly. Generally, an adjustable thermostat may be used to control the temperature of the adhesive tank 207. It has been found advantageous to maintain the temperature of the adhesive at between approximately 32 degrees C. (90 degrees F.) to 66 degrees C. (150 degrees F.), and preferably to around 49 degrees C. (120 degrees F.). In addition, in embodiments, the tank has an agitator 209 to ensure proper mixing and heat transfer.

The webs are then fed through the nip 213 where the embossing patterns on each embossing roll 204, 206 mesh with one another.

In nested embossing, the crests of the embossing knobs typically do not touch the perimeter of the opposing roll at the nip formed therebetween. Therefore, after the application of the embossments and the adhesive, a marrying roll 214 is used to apply pressure for lamination. The marrying roll 214 forms a nip with the same embossing roll 204 that forms the nip with the adhesive applicator roll 212, downstream of the nip formed between the two embossing rolls 204, 206. The marrying roll 214 is generally needed because the crests of the nested embossing knobs 205 typically do not touch the perimeter of the opposing roll 206 at the nip 213 formed therebetween.

The specific pattern that is embossed on the absorbent products is significant for achieving the enhanced scrubbing resistance of the present invention. In particular, it has been found that the embossed area on any ply should cover between approximately 5 to 15% of the surface area. Moreover, the size of each embossment should be between approximately 0.04 to 0.08 square centimeters. The depth of the embossment should be within the range of between approximately 0.28 and 0.43 centimeters (0.110 and 0.170 inches) in depth.

FIG. 4 shows a sample pattern embossed on the absorbent product according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated pattern, the embossed area covers approximately 13% of the surface, the embossment depth is approximately 0.34 centimeters (0.135 inches) deep, and the embossment diameter is approximately 0.92 centimeters (0.115 inches) across.

The following testing procedures were followed in determining the various attributes of the Examples and Comparative Examples discussed herein.

Ball Burst Testing

Ball Burst of a 2-ply tissue web was determined using a Tissue Softness Analyzer (TSA), available from EMTECH Electronic GmbH of Leipzig, Germany using A ball burst head and holder. A punch was used to cut out five 100 cm² round samples from the web. One of the samples was loaded into the TSA, with the embossed surface facing down, over the holder and held into place using the ring. The ball burst algorithm was selected from the list of available softness testing algorithms displayed by the TSA. The ball burst head was then pushed by the EMTECH through the sample until the web ruptured and calculated the grams force required for the rupture to occur. The test process was repeated for the remaining samples and the results for all the samples were averaged.

Stretch & MD, CD, and Wet CD Tensile Strength Testing

An Instron 3343 tensile tester, manufactured by Instron of Norwood, Mass., with a 100N load cell and 25.4 mm rubber coated jaw faces was used for tensile strength measurement. Prior to measurement, the Instron 3343 tensile tester was calibrated. After calibration, 8 strips of 2-ply product, each one inch by four inches, were provided as samples for each test. When testing MD, the strips are cut in the MD direction and in the CD direction when testing CD. One of the sample strips was placed in between the upper jaw faces and clamp, and then between the lower jaw faces and clamp with a gap of 2 inches between the clamps. A test was run on the sample strip to obtain tensile and stretch. The test procedure was repeated until all the samples were tested. The values obtained for the eight sample strips were averaged to determine the tensile strength of the tissue. When testing CD wet tensile, the strips are placed in an oven at 105 deg Celsius. for 5 minutes and saturated with 75 microliters of deionized water immediately prior to pulling the sample.

Basis Weight

Using a dye and press, six 76.2 mm by 76.2 mm square samples were cut from a 2-ply product being careful to avoid any web perforations. The samples were placed in an oven at 105 deg C. for 5 minutes before being weighed on an analytical balance to the fourth decimal point. The weight of the sample in grams is divided by (0.0762 m)² to determine the basis weight in grams/m².

Caliper Testing

A Thwing-Albert ProGage 100 Thickness Tester, manufactured by Thwing Albert of West Berlin, using a 2″ diameter pressure foot with a preset loading of 0.93 grams/square inch NJ was used for the caliper test. Eight 100 mm×100 mm square samples were cut from a 2-ply product. The samples were then tested individually and the results were averaged to obtain a caliper result for the base sheet.

Softness Testing

Softness of a 2-ply tissue web was determined using a Tissue Softness Analyzer (TSA), available from EMTEC Electronic GmbH of Leipzig, Germany. The TSA comprises a rotor with vertical blades which rotate on the test piece applying a defined contact pressure. Contact between the vertical blades and the test piece creates vibrations which are sensed by a vibration sensor. The sensor then transmits a signal to a PC for processing and display. The frequency analysis in the range of approximately 200 to 1000 Hz represents the surface smoothness or texture of the test piece and is referred to as the TS750 value. A further peak in the frequency range between 6 and 7 kHz represents the bulk softness of the test piece and is referred to as the TS7 value. Both TS7 and TS750 values are expressed as dB V² rms. The stiffness of the sample is also calculated as the device measures deformation of the sample under a defined load. The stiffness value (D) is expressed as mm/N. The device also calculates a Hand Feel (HF) number with the higher the number corresponding to a higher softness as perceived when someone touches a tissue sample by hand. The HF number is a combination of the TS750, TS7, and stiffness of the sample measured by the TSA and calculated using an algorithm which also requires the caliper and basis weight of the sample. Different algorithms can be selected for different facial, toilet, and towel paper products. Before testing, a calibration check should be performed using “TSA Leaflet Collection No. 9” available from EMTECH dated 2016 May 10. If the calibration check demonstrates a calibration is necessary, follow “TSA Leaflet Collection No. 10” for the calibration procedure available from EMTECH dated 2015 Sep. 9.

A punch was used to cut out five 100 cm² round samples from the web. One of the samples was loaded into the TSA, clamped into place (outward facing or embossed ply facing upward), and the TPII algorithm was selected from the list of available softness testing algorithms displayed by the TSA. After inputting parameters for the sample (including caliper and basis weight), the TSA measurement program was run. The test process was repeated for the remaining samples and the results for all the samples were averaged and the average HF number recorded.

Absorbency

Absorbency of a 2-ply product was tested using an M/K GATS Liquid Absorption Tester (available from MK Systems, Inc., Peabody, Mass., USA), following the procedure shown in FIG. 4.

The following examples illustrate the advantages provided by exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

Comparative Example 1

Paper towel was produced on a wet-laid asset with a three layer headbox using the through air dried method. The three layers of the single ply of towel were labeled as air, core and Yankee. The air layer was the outer layer that was placed on the structuring fabric, the dryer layer was the outer layer that was closest to the surface of the Yankee dryer, and the core was the center section of the towel.

The towel was produced using 50% eucalyptus and 50% northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) fibers prepared individually. The NBSK was refined at 90 kwh/ton with 12 kg/ton polyamine polyamide-epichlorohydrin resin, named Kymene 821 from Solenis (500 Hercules Road, Wilmington Del., 19808), added at the discharge of the refiner. The NBSK and eucalyptus fibers were then mixed together with 4.0 kg/ton of CMC. The pulp was then split fed evenly to three layers with a dry strength additive, Redibond 2038 (Corn Products, 10 Finderne Avenue, Bridgewater, N.J. 08807), added to the core layer and 1.5 kg/ton Hercobond 6950, a polyvinyl amine retention aid from Solenis, added to all three layers. The fiber and chemical mixtures were diluted to a solids of 0.5% consistency at the suction of three fan pumps which delivered the slurry to a triple layered headbox.

The headbox deposited the slurry to a nip formed by a forming roll, an outer forming wire, and inner forming wire where the wires were running at a speed of 1272 m/min. The slurry was drained through the outer wire, which was a KT194-P design supplied by Asten Johnson (4399 Corporate Rd, Charleston, S.C. (843) 747-7800)), to aid with drainage, fiber support, and web formation. When the fabrics separated, the web followed the inner forming wire and was dried to approximately 27% solids using a series of vacuum boxes and a steam box at 30 kpa pressure and 145 deg C.

The web was then transferred to a structuring fabric running at 1200 m/min with the aid of a vacuum box to facilitate fiber penetration into the structuring fabric to enhance bulk softness and web imprinting. The structuring fabric was the Prolux 646 supplied by Albany (216 Airport Drive Rochester, N.H. 03867 USA Tel: +1.603.330.5850). The fabric was a 10 shed design with 12.0 yarn/cm Mesh and Count, a 0.35 mm warp monofilament, a 0.50 mm weft monofilament, a 1.29 mm caliper, with a 670 cfm and a knuckle surface that was sanded to impart 12% contact area with the Yankee dryer. The web was then dried with the aid of two TAD hot air impingement drums to 80% moisture before transfer to the Yankee dryer. The web was held in intimate contact with the Yankee surface using an adhesive coating chemistry. The Yankee was provided steam at 300 kpa while the installed hot air impingement hood over the Yankee was blowing heated air at 125 deg C. The web was creped from the Yankee at 1% crepe at 98.2% dryness using a steel blade at a pocket angle of 90 degrees.

The towel was then plied together using the method described above with reference to FIG. 3, using a steel emboss roll with the pattern shown in FIG. 4 and 7% polyvinyl alcohol based adhesive heated to 120 deg F. The rolled 2-ply product had 150 sheets, a roll diameter of 148 mm, with sheets a length of 6.0 inches and width of 11 inches. The 2-ply tissue product further had the following product attributes: Basis Weight 42.7 g/m², Caliper 0.891 mm, MD tensile of 512 N/m, CD tensile of 492 N/m, a ball burst of 1329 grams force, an MD stretch of 10.7%, a CD stretch of 11.0%, a CD wet tensile of 145.4 N/m, an absorbency of 697 gsm, a HF softness of 45.1, a TS7 of 24.56, a TS750 of 63.84 and a D value of 2.04 mm/N. The CD wet tensile was 30% the value of the CD dry tensile.

Comparative Example 2

Paper towel was produced on a wet-laid asset with a three layer headbox using the through air dried method. The three layers of the single ply of towel were labeled as air, core and Yankee. The air layer was the outer layer that was placed on the structuring fabric, the dryer layer was the outer layer that was closest to the surface of the Yankee dryer, and the core was the center section of the towel.

The towel was produced using 50% eucalyptus and 50% northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) fibers prepared individually. The NBSK was refined at 100 kwh/ton with 12 kg/ton polyamine polyamide-epichlorohydrin resin, named Kymene 821 from Solenis (500 Hercules Road, Wilmington Del., 19808), added at the discharge of the refiner. The NBSK and eucalyptus fibers were then mixed together with 6.0 kg/ton of Hercobond 2800, an anionic polyacrylamide from Solenis. The pulp was then split fed evenly to three layers with 2.0 kg/ton of glyoxylated polyacrylamide, named Fennorez 1000 from Kemira, (1000 Parkwood Circle, Suite 500 GA 30339 Atlanta Tel. +1 770 436 1542), added to the Yankee and air layer and 0.5 kg/ton of Hercobond 6950 polyvinyl amine from Solenis added to the core layer. The fiber and chemical mixtures were diluted to a solids of 0.5% consistency at the suction of three fan pumps which delivered the slurry to a triple layered headbox.

The headbox deposited the slurry to a nip formed by a forming roll, an outer forming wire, and inner forming wire where the wires were running at a speed of 1272 m/min. The slurry was drained through the outer wire, which was a KT194-P design supplied by Asten Johnson (4399 Corporate Rd, Charleston, S.C. (843) 747-7800)), to aid with drainage, fiber support, and web formation. When the fabrics separated, the web followed the inner forming wire and was dried to approximately 27% solids using a series of vacuum boxes and a steam box at 30 kpa pressure and 145 deg C.

The web was then transferred to a structuring fabric running at 1200 m/min with the aid of a vacuum box to facilitate fiber penetration into the structuring fabric to enhance bulk softness and web imprinting. The structuring fabric was the Prolux 646 supplied by Albany (216 Airport Drive Rochester, N.H. 03867 USA Tel: +1.603.330.5850). The fabric was a 10 shed design with 12.0 yarn/cm Mesh and Count, a 0.35 mm warp monofilament, a 0.50 mm weft monofilament, a 1.29 mm caliper, with a 670 cfm and a knuckle surface that was sanded to impart 12% contact area with the Yankee dryer. The web was then dried with the aid of two TAD hot air impingement drums to 80% moisture before transfer to the Yankee dryer. The web was held in intimate contact with the Yankee surface using an adhesive coating chemistry. The Yankee was provided steam at 300 kpa while the installed hot air impingement hood over the Yankee was blowing heated air at 125 deg C. The web was creped from the Yankee at 1% crepe at 98.2% dryness using a steel blade at a pocket angle of 90 degrees.

The towel was then plied together using the method described above with reference to FIG. 3, using a steel emboss roll with the pattern shown in FIGS. 4 and 7% polyvinyl alcohol based adhesive heated to 120 deg F. The rolled 2-ply product had 150 sheets, a roll diameter of 148 mm, with sheets a length of 6.0 inches and width of 11 inches. The 2-ply tissue product had the following product attributes: Basis Weight 41.76 g/m², Caliper 0.889 mm, MD tensile of 441 N/m, CD tensile of 390 N/m, a ball burst of 1131 grams force, an MD stretch of 10.9%, a CD stretch of 11.0%, a CD wet tensile of 96.35 N/m, an absorbency of 714 gsm, and a HF softness of 44.7, a TS7 of 22.52, a TS750 of 76.77, and a D value of 2.21 mm/N. The CD wet tensile was 25% of the value of the CD dry tensile.

Example 1

Paper towel was produced in the same way as described in Comparative Example 2 with the exception of mixing of 350 ppm of Hercobond 8922, a multicomponent (more than one) exocellulase enzyme from Solenis, with the NBSK in a virgin pulper for 1 hr before refining.

The rolled 2-ply product had 150 sheets, a roll diameter of 148 mm, with sheets a length of 6.0 inches and width of 11 inches. The 2-ply tissue product had the following product attributes: Basis Weight 41.54 g/m², Caliper 0.881 mm, MD tensile of 515 N/m, CD tensile of 395 N/m, a ball burst of 1223 grams force, an MD stretch of 10.7%, a CD stretch of 10.7%, a CD wet tensile of 150.6 N/m, an absorbency of 700 gsm, a HF softness of 47.1, a TS7 of 22.93, a TS750 of 59.51, and a D value of 2.17 mm/N. The CD wet tensile was 38% of the value of the CD dry tensile.

Example 1, which included the addition of a cellulase enzyme, provided significant improvement in quality attributes as compared to Comparative Example 2. Specifically, the addition of 350 ppm of the cellulase to the NBSK furnish increased Geometric Mean Tensile (square root of the product of MD tensile and CD tensile) by 8.8%, Ball Burst Strength by 8.1%, and wet CD tensile by 56% as compared to Comparative Example 2. The CD wet tensile improved from 25% to 38% of the value of the CD dry tensile. The softness also improved, which was unexpected as softness is typically inversely proportional to tensile strength. Without being bound by theory, it is believed the cellulase enzymes disrupted the crystalline structure of the fiber's cellulose molecules, increasing fiber fibrillation, and exposing more surface area for fiber to fiber bonding and chemical to fiber bonding to occur. This resulted in the improvement in strength properties. The improvement in softness was driven by a reduction in the TS750 parameter measured by the Tissue Softness Analyzer showing an improvement in the surface smoothness of the product. Literature has indicated that cellulase enzyme products degrade fines (by catalyzing the hydrolysis of B-1-4 glycosidic bonds) that collect on the surface of the fibers providing a cleaner fiber surface. Without being bound by theory, it is possible that this cleaner fiber surface improves the smoothness of the product and reduces the TS750 parameter measured by the Tissue Softness Analyzer.

Now that embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail, various modifications and improvements thereon will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the present invention is to be construed broadly and not limited by the foregoing specification.

Claims

1. A method of making an absorbent structure comprising: forming a stock mixture of fibers, a cationic wet strength resin, an anionic polyacrylamide and a cellulase enzyme; andat least partially drying the stock mixture to form a web.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of forming the at least partially dried stock mixture into a web comprises forming two or more webs.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising plying the two or more webs together to form a multi-ply absorbent structure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the web is formed by forming a first web and a second web and layering the first and second webs together so that the web is a multi-layer web.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the cationic wet strength resin comprises one of a type selected from the group consisting of: polyethyleneimine, polyethylenimine, polyaminoamide-epihalohydrin (preferably epichlorohydrin) polyamine-epichlorohydrin, polyamide, polyvinyl amide wet strength resin and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellulase enzyme comprises mono-component or multi-component endo-cellulases, exo-cellulases, or cellobiase cellulases.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising use of a structured fabric to form the web.