Influence of superabsorbent fibre in cotton web on absorption of saline solution

Three types of nonwoven structures, viz. one mono-component (100 % cotton) and two bi-components (homogeneously dispersed fibres and layer-wise assembled fibres) have been prepared and then evaluated for absorption performance. The addition of superabsorbent (SAF) fibres into the nonwoven structure marginally improves the absorption capacity of the homogeneously blended structure in comparison to the 100 % cotton web. The liquid (synthetic urine) retention of the cotton web is found to vary between 45 % and 65 %, depending upon the external pressure. The SAF, however, increases the retention capacity significantly. Amongst all the structures, the retention of layered structure is found to be superior to the rest.