Assessing the structural, mechanical and dispersible characteristics of flushable nonwovens

Flushable wipes have become popular among consumers who worry about environmental problems the world confronts today. However, whether these wipes have a positive effect on environmental protection is contradictory because of the lack of government regulations and legal obligations. Starting from this point, in this study, we characterized commercially available flushable products, which were manufactured from various raw materials by different production methods, in order to understand the relationship between their structure and performance properties. The results showed that production technology had a significant effect on the structural, mechanical, and dispersible properties of nonwovens. The disintegration percentage of nonwovens was inversely related to their wet strength. The findings of this study will be helpful in the design of new flushable nonwovens for improved wet strength and dispersibility performance.