Disposable baby diapers

Disposable polypropylene nonwoven fabrics are widely used as the coverstock for disposable baby diapers. The expansion of the disposable diaper market throughout the world has been the primary source of growth in the consumption of polypropylene in the fiber market. In addition, nonwoven polypropylene fabrics are used in a variety of other disposable sanitary products, such as baby wipes, adult incontinence, and feminine hygiene products. Use of polypropylene nonwovens in disposable medical apparel, such as surgical gowns, has increased as a means of reducing the spread of infection. 

This is a visually amazing demonstration in which water is poured into an opaque disposable cup, and, when the cup is turned upside down, the water vanishes. What the students do not know is that inside the cup there is sodium polyacrylate powder, the same powder that is used in disposable baby diapers. Sodium polyacrylate is a water-loving (what chemists refer to as hygroscopic) polymer that absorbs water, and as a result, turns into a gel, which does not pour out when the cup is turned upside down. 

Poly(acrylic acid) in superabsorbent disposable baby diapers is a commonly encountered cation exchanger that you can demonstrate in your classroom. ... 

According to a diaper market sustainability report issued by EDANA, Brussels, Belgium, the average baby diaper is comprised 43% of fluff pulp, 27% SAP, 15% PP, 7% PE, 3% adhesives, and 1% elastics (Edana, 2008). The nonwoven fabric required is of 20—25 g (Pancholi Naik, 2008). Disposable baby diapers were first introduced in the early 1960s, and since then, have been marked by continuous product innovations, including the addition of SAP, resealable tapes, and elasticized waistbands. 

Superabsorbent polymers are one of the new materials. Since 1987, when it was used for disposable baby diapers, production has increased each year. Production in 1995 reached 600,0001 [150]. Due to commercial applications like paper diapers and sanitary products, they are so familiar to us because they appear on TV almost every day. Other applications, such as a soil additive to retain moisture, materials for maintaining freshness, antiffost construction materials, gel perfumes, and controlled release drugs are under development. It seems important to measure and evaluate the superabsorbent polymers that have been used in many... 

Super absorbent polymers (SAP) have enjoyed rapid sales growth in disposable baby diapers because of their high absorptivity of water systems of low ionic strength. This application was selected for study because SAP s are now used in approximately 90% of the 19 billion disposable baby diapers produced annually ion the United States. However, the absorptivity of SAP s in pure form in laboratory tests is far greater than that observed when they are incorporated not the cellulose fluff pulp used in a diaper core. 

Table 9.10 shows the distribution of U.S. household incomes, which limits what each household can afford to buy. Let us consider baby diapers. A mother has a number of options to consider cloth diapers delivered to the home and retrieved after use, cloth diapers that are home laundered, disposable paper diapers for the garbage can after use, and the rural poor may let the babies run around with bare bottoms. The poor families buy less goods, and need to concentrate purchases on housing and basic food, such as bread and potatoes. The expenditure of 456 for disposal diapers in a budget of 75,000 is 0.6%, which is not a serious problem but for families with less than 10,000 income per year, this sum becomes 4.5%, which represents a much bigger burden, and less expensive and affordable options would be chosen. 

Now the pendulum is swinging back to using cloth diapers and biodegradable disposables. Cloth diapers can be made from cotton, wool, silk, hemp, and even bamboo fibers. Fitted cloth diapers that are easier to use are now available. They have velcro fastenings and disposable, flushable inner linings that make them just as waterproof and a great deal kinder to your baby s skin. They are also more absorbent than plastic diapers. 

Some of the main uses of PP in nonwovens include baby diapers, hygiene fabrics, wet wipes, and adult incontinence fabrics which require a soft hand. Automotive fabrics, geotextiles, disposable hospital clothing, and industrial wipes are also important PP applications. 

The principal use of superabsorbent polymers is as a liquid absorbent in disposable hygiene products, which include baby diapers, feminine hygiene products, and adult incontinence products. Smaller volume uses include liquid absorbent pads for packaged meats and water-blocking tapes and coatings for electrical and telecommunication cables. 

Disposable Infant Diapers. A basic disposable diaper consists of an absorbent core sandwiched between a liquid permeable top-sheet and an impermeable back-sheet (45). The top-sheet, next to the baby s skin, allows urine to flow through it into the core. The back-sheet, made of impermeable plastic, helps keep the bab s clothing dry. The core takes in the liquid, distributes it within the core and holds the liquid under compression from the baby. 

Drylock is a new entrant into the European diaper market that is creating plenty of noise. It produces premium fluffless baby diapers in all sizes. The launch of the Dry-lock Toujours diaper has started a new trend of diapers without any wood pulp. Fluffless diapers are the products of the future because they offer superior comfort for the wearer and a more intimate feeling for the caretaker, and they present clearly visible ecological advantages, as they eliminate the need to cut down trees just to produce a disposable diaper. 

Since their introduction into the consumer market in the 1980s, SAPs have found widespread uses in personal disposable hygiene products, such as baby diapers, adult protective underwear, and sanitary napkins. In addition, these materials are used in a number of novel biomedical products such as surgical caps and drapes, as well as niche products like contact lenses and wound dressings, utilizing their ability to hold a large amount of water in the swollen polymeric structure. 

Hygiene issues for adult incontinence products are similar to those for baby diapers. In institutional settings, the ability to confine and dispose of urine and feces with a minimum of effort and without contamination of the environment is paramount. The use of modem disposable absorbent incontinence products should reduce the amount... 

The fluid absorption of Super Absorbent Polymers was found to be less when incorporated into fluff pulp air formed fleeces, found in hygienic disposables, than their absorption in pure form. This difference was attributed to a competition for available fluid between the SAP and the capillary forces in the pores of the fluff pulp structure. Absorption of an ionic Acrylate base and a non-ionic PVA base SAP was compared in laboratory tests in pure form and in air formed felts, then in use tests in baby diapers. Diapers performance did not correlate with the laboratory tests. The difference was related to the quantity of fluid available in the tests. 

If you aren t set up to wash cloth diapers at home, conventional disposable diapers aren t a good option. One widely quoted study (published in Archives of Environmental Health and conducted by Anderson Laboratories back in 1999) found mice exposed to VOC chemicals emitted by conventional disposables had asthmalike reactions. They also contain chlorine and have high-tech chemical gel cores that activate when your baby pees to lock in moisture. The Children s Health Environmental Coalition says this absorbent material—sodium polyacrylate— could cause respiratory and skin irritations in occupational settings (where exposure is higher than with diaper use). We wonder how safe can that much chemical activity that close to a baby s genitals be twenty-four hours a day ... 

Each diapering option—cloth or disposable—has its drawbacks. If you have free time on your hands, you could train your baby to go diaperless. Invest in a copy of Ingrid Bauer s Diaper Free The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene. 

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