A STUDY ON THE RAW MATERIALS USED IN THE DIAPER INDUSTRY:

What is a disposable diaper??

A diaper is a sponge like garments worn by babies or senior citizen who are unable to control
their bowel movement or unable/unwilling to use a toilet.

The raw materials used in manufacturing a disposable diaper consist mainly of the following:

1. Pulp

2. SAP (super absorbent Polymers) mainly polyemeric material made up of fine particles of
acrylic acid derivates.

3. Non woven sheets: top and bottom sheet in between of which the absorbent pad is
sandwiched.

4. Hot Melts

5. Tapes.

6. Elastics.

7. bags and films.

PULP:

Pulp is a dry fibrous material usually prepared chemically or mechanically by separating fibers
from wood, fiber crops or waste paper. Pulp or tissue is most commonly used in the absorbent
pad along with the polymeric material as means of absorption in a diaper. The main property of
this pulp/tissue paper is that it has high elasticity and wet strength. The typical strength of this
tissue is around 16 GSM. The other function of this tissue is that it protects the inner plastic from
the super absorbent particles. We can also use a low gage SMS non woven material as the carrier
for the pad. Particular issue against using a SMS non woven material would be the cost involved
and also the competitive advantage used in comparison with a tissue paper. Pulp is usually
produced from

SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer):

Also called slush powder, their main property is to absorb and retain extremely large amount of
liquid relative to their own mass. This sort of material is generally used in the form of small
granular particles as in table salt. This also helps in keeping more retention and avoids the usage
of fluff pulp in the absorbent pad. the one benefit of these particles is they don’t solidify upon
absorption instead they form a gel due to their molecular chemistry. SAP is generally used where
most mineral absorption is required such as agricultural and horticultural areas, cable formation
where electric wires are to be protected from water and also in diapers where Urine which
contains around 0.9 % of minerals. The in turn affects the polarity of the SAP and hence reduces
liquid retention.

NON WOVEN SHEETS:

A disposable diaper consists of two non woven sheets, in between of which the absorbent pad is
sandwiched. The top sheet is permeable and is made up of polypropylene and the bottom sheet is
impermeable and is made up of polyethylene.

• POLYETHYLENE NON WOVEN SHEET:

This is the main bottom sheet which is in contact with the skin of the baby. This basically
will help the liquid to flow to the core of the diaper. The surfactant treatment differs both
sheet from each other. The surface tension of the surfactant reduces the surface tension of
the non woven, reduces the contact angle with the liquid and allows it to pass. The natural
flow dynamics of the sheet doesn’t allow the liquid back to the surface. Mostly these non
wovens are made through the process of spun bonding, but thermal bonded and Air
bonded non wovens can also be used.

• POLYPROPYLENE NON WOVEN SHEET:

This is the main hydrophobic sheet of the diaper. This prevents water from passing
through the diaper. The preparation of polypropylene non woven differs from that of
polyethylene non woven in that it doesn’t require any surfactant treatment.
HOT MELTS:

Hot melts are basically used to glue different components of a diaper to each other such
as the pads and elastics. They are basically made up of different resins and tackifiers.
They are applied in their molten state and upon cooling they glue the materials to each
other. In diapers two types of adhesives are used one is the construction adhesive which
is used for the non woven sheets and the other one is the elastic adhesive which is used
for the leg and waist foam elastics. Elastic adhesive is generally more expensive than the
construction adhesive due to the fact that it has more elasticity to hold materials as they
are being stretched. Another type of adhesive known as pad integrity adhesive is also
used to add strength to the diaper in wet conditions. It is quite useful when SAP loading
exceed 20 % from the total pad weight.

ELASTICS:

these are used to improve the fit of the diaper. They are made up of polyurethane foam,
rubber or lycra.

LATERAL TAPE:

In most diapers adhesive tapes made up of polypropylene are used also unknown as book
tape.

FRONTAL TAPES:

It is used to allow for multiple repositions of the lateral tape without tearing the back-
sheet, it is made of polypropylene film and attached to the front of the diaper with
adhesive

BAGS AND FILMS:

For even more differentiation, some diapers use decorated films underneath the cloth-like
back sheet, some use as many as 9 inks with all kind of well known characters such as
Disney, Sesamo Street, Soccer teams, etc. Another option they use is for a wettness
indicator. This is typically used for adult incontinence products but some baby diapers
also use it.

Other raw materials which can be used in diapers include Top sheet and surface add on
lotions.