Dispersible Wet Wipes Made Using Short Cellulose Fibers for Enhanced Dispersibility

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to dispersible wet wipes. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a dispersible wet wipe constructed of a wipe substrate containing a tissue web consisting of cellulose fibers and a binder composition for binding said binder composition to said tissue web. The tissue web contains cellulose fibers that have a fiber length of 3 mm or less. The construction of the dispersible wipes may allow for a pass through percentage value calculates via a dispersibility shake flask test of at least about 70 percent for increased dispersibility. More desirably, the single-ply dispersible wet wipes may have a pass through percentage value of at least about 95 percent.

1 . A dispersible wet wipe comprising:
 a wipe substrate containing a tissue web consisting of cellulose fibers, wherein said cellulose fibers have a fiber length of 3 mm or less, and a binder composition for binding said binder composition to said tissue web, wherein said binder composition is present at an add-on rate of between about 1 percent and about 15 percent based on total weight the wipe substrate, the binder composition comprising less than about 18 percent by weight of binder composition solids; and   a wetting composition containing between 0.4 and 3.5 percent salt.   
     
     
         2 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 1  wherein said binder composition is present at an add-on rate of between about 1 and about 8 percent based on total weight the wipe substrate. 
     
     
         3 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 1  wherein the binder composition comprising less than about 16 percent by weight of binder composition solids 
     
     
         4 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 1  wherein the fibrous substrate comprises an uncreped through-air dried tissue web. 
     
     
         5 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 1  wherein the wet wipe has an in-use machine direction tensile strength of greater than 300 grams per linear inch. 
     
     
         6 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 1  wherein the wet wipe has an post-use machine direction tensile strength of less than 200 grams per linear inch. 
     
     
         7 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 1  wherein the wet wipe has a ratio of machine direction tensile strength to cross-direction tensile strength of less than 2.25. 
     
     
         8 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 1  wherein the wet wipe has a geometric mean tensile strength of at least 300 grams per linear inch. 
     
     
         9 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 1  wherein the wipe substrate comprises a single layer. 
     
     
         10 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 1  wherein said wipe substrate has a formation value of greater than 20. 
     
     
         11 . A dispersible wet wipe comprising:
 a wipe substrate containing a tissue web consisting of cellulose fibers, wherein said cellulose fibers have a fiber length of 3 mm or less, and a binder composition for binding said binder composition to said tissue web, said binder composition is present at an add-on rate of between about 1 and about 15 percent; and   a wetting composition containing between about 0.4 and about 3.5 percent salt;   wherein said dispersible wet wipe has a pass through percentage value of at least about 70 percent.   
     
     
         12 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 11  wherein said dispersible wet wipe has a pass through percentage value of at least about 95 percent. 
     
     
         13 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 11  wherein said binder composition is present at an add-on rate of between about 1 and about 8 percent based on total weight of the wipe substrate. 
     
     
         14 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 11  wherein the binder composition comprising less than about 18 percent by weight of binder composition solids. 
     
     
         15 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 11  wherein the fibrous substrate comprises an uncreped through-air dried tissue web. 
     
     
         16 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 11  wherein the wet wipe has an in-use machine direction tensile strength of greater than 300 grams per linear inch. 
     
     
         17 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 11  wherein the wet wipe has an post-use machine direction tensile strength of less than 200 grams per linear inch. 
     
     
         18 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 11  a pass through percentage value of at least about 70 percent. 
     
     
         19 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 11  wherein said wipe substrate has a formation value of greater than 18. 
     
     
         20 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 11  wherein the wet wipe has a ratio of machine direction tensile strength to cross-direction tensile strength of less than 2.25. 
     
     
         21 . The dispersible wet wipe of  claim 11  wherein the wet wipe has a geometric mean tensile strength of at least 300 grams per linear inch.