Next Phase of the Nonwovens Industry
As briefed above, the nonwovens industry in its 30 years of
organized existence has focused primarily on disposable and semi-durable
sectors. The next phase of growth and development of this industry will be focused
on three main aspects:
- Value-added products with enhanced functionality
- Apparels
- Sustainable products
These are the three products which the nonwoven industry,
particularly in the industrialized world has to focus in order to have
comparative advantage over the burgeoning industry of the developing economies.
Due to the availability of finite oil based resources and the cost associated
with them, the entire supply chain of the industry has to think innovatively to
develop value-added products from sustainable materials. This is the immediate
challenge for the nonwoven and technical textile industry.
Examples of Some Value-Added Nonwoven Products
It will be an onerous task to provide examples of new and
improved nonwoven products from different laboratories around the world. Hence,
the focus of this presentation is on some recent projects at Texas Tech University, which have utilized nonwoven and nanofiber technologies for the
development of value-added products.
Military Decontamination Wipe
Most recently, the conventional needlepunching nonwoven
technology has been utilized to develop a product that is of immediate need for
the military. This non-particulate wipe technology has been found to be superior
to the loose carbon particles for the adsorption of toxic vapors. These
needlepunched composite wipes can be conveniently used as dry decontamination
wipes to clean the wounded skin of a soldier as well as military equipment. Since
these wipes should have both absorption and adsorption capabilities, bonding
methods such as lamination may not be appropriate. It is particularly useful to
report that mechanical bonding technologies are valuable in developing such
military products. Depending upon the weight, the multilayered needlepunched
fabrics can be used in the development of filters and chemical protective suit
liners. These materials can be functionalized using biocidal materials to make
them both biological and chemical protective materials. Figure 1
delineates the structure of the needlepunched fabric which finds a number of
value-added applications.
Figure 1. Nonwoven Decontamination
Wipe
