Sanitary tissue products comprising once-dried fibers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12590418-B2
Application number	US-202318131388-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2023
Priority date	Apr 8, 2022
Publication date	Mar 31, 2026
Grant date	Mar 31, 2026

Abstract

Processes for making sanitary tissue products of the present disclosure may comprise re-slushing pulp comprising non-wood fibers prior to sending the pulp to a headbox; forming a web comprising the non-wood fibers; creating zones of differential densities in the web; and creping the web.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A process for making a sanitary tissue product, comprising the following steps:
reslushing pulp comprising non-wood fibers prior to sending the pulp to a headbox; forming a through-air-dried (TAD) web comprising at least about 5% by weight of the non-wood fibers; creping the TAD web; and forming the sanitary tissue product comprising the TAD web, wherein the sanitary tissue product exhibits a Formation Index Average of less than about 80.

2 . The process of claim 1 , further comprising drying the pulp prior to the step of reslushing pulp to form a once-dried pulp.

3 . The process of claim 2 , wherein the once-dried pulp comprises non-wood fibers having a water content of less than 10%.

4 . The process of claim 2 , wherein the once-dried pulp comprises non-wood fibers having a water content of less than 20%.

5 . The process of claim 2 , wherein the once-dried pulp comprises non-wood fibers having a water content of less than 40%.

6 . The process of claim 2 , wherein the once-dried pulp is in the form selected from the group consisting of a bale, a sheet, and block.

7 . The process of claim 2 , wherein the drying the pulp prior to the step of reslushing the pulp to form a once-dried pulp utilizes a drying unit that generates heat.

8 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the non-wood fibers, prior to sending the pulp to the headbox, have a breaking length ratio from about 0.4 to about 1.8.

9 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the non-wood fibers, prior to sending the pulp to the headbox, have a breaking length ratio less than 3.25.

10 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the non-wood fibers, prior to sending the pulp to the headbox, have a breaking length ratio less than about 1.8.

11 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the non-wood fibers, prior to sending the pulp to the headbox, have a breaking length ratio less than about 1.0.

12 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the non-wood fibers are selected from the group consisting of cotton, flax, abaca, hemp, bamboo, bagasse, and combinations thereof.

13 . The process of claim 1 , further comprising treating the web with a dry strength agent.

14 . The process of claim 13 , wherein the dry strength agent is Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (CMC).

15 . The process of claim 1 , further comprising harvesting non-wood fibers and pulping the non-wood fibers and drying the non-wood fibers prior to the reslushing step.

16 . The process of claim 15 , wherein the drying the non-wood fibers prior to the reslushing step comprises drying the non-wood fibers to a water content of less than about 45%.

17 . The process of claim 15 , further comprising forming the non-wood fibers into a bale, a sheet, or a block prior to the reslushing step.

18 . The process of claim 15 , wherein the drying the non-wood fibers prior to the reslushing step comprises drying the non-wood fibers at a facility other than a destination paper-making facility.

19 . The process of claim 18 , further comprising shipping the non-wood fibers after drying to the destination paper-making facility prior to the reslushing step.

20 . The process of claim 19 , wherein the non-wood fibers are shipped greater than about 100 miles.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Young Christopher Michael
• Sheehan Jeffrey Glen
• Kien Kathryn Christian
• Ostendorf Ward William

Classifications

• D21H21/20

  Wet strength agents · CPC title

• D21H21/10

  Retention agents or drainage improvers · CPC title

• D21H17/26

  Ethers thereof · CPC title

• D21H27/40

  at least one of the sheets being non-planar, e.g. crêped (crêping or corrugating paper B31F) · CPC title

• D21H27/02

  Patterned paper (patterned coatings D21H19/66; embossing B31F1/07; prepared on the paper-making machines D21F11/00) · CPC title