The present invention provides compositions comprising cellulose fibers and cellulose ester fibers and wet laid articles made from the compositions, as well as wet laid processes to produce these compositions. More specifically, the present invention provided compositions comprising cellulose fibers and cellulose acetate fibers and wet laid articles made from these compositions as well as wet laid processes to produce these compositions. The present invention also relates to composition, process, wet laid product, or articles exhibiting any one of many desired benefits. The invention also relates to a composition comprising cellulose fiber and a staple fiber exhibiting improved texturing.

A recycled cellulose pulp composition is provided which comprises recycled cellulosic fibers and cellulose ester staple fibers. The recycled cellulose pulp containing co-refined re-cycled cellulose fibers and cellulose ester staple fibers can be added to a hydropulper and fed back through a refiner to make wet laid products.

The present invention relates to fibrillated lyocell fibers which have a fibrillation quotient Q of 20 or more and whose content of microfibers with a fineness of less than 14 mesh and a diameter of less than 2 m is at least 50%, as well as the use thereof for producing a wipe, which contains pulp and 5 to 20 wt. % of fibrillated lyocell fibers.

Provided are a filter medium for a filter, which makes it possible to obtain a filter high in collection efficiency, low in pressure loss and long in filter lifetime, a method for producing the same, and a filter using the filter medium for a filter. A filter medium for a filter is used as a constituent member of a filter and composed of a wet type nonwoven fabric, wherein the filter medium for a filter has a multilayer structure of two or more layers, and there is no interface between the above-mentioned two layers.

Provided is a conjugate fiber for air-laid nonwoven fabric manufacture having a planar zig-zag crimp shape before a thermal treatment, such that a uniform web is obtained by air laying with high processability and productivity, and the conjugate fiber develops a spiral crimp when the web is subjected to a thermal treatment to thereby enable the web to shrink significantly, as a result of which a nonwoven fabric can be obtained in which fibers are amassed to a high density. The conjugate fiber for air-laid nonwoven fabric manufacture is a heat-fusible conjugate fiber in which a first component comprising an olefinic thermoplastic resin is conjugated with a second component comprising an olefinic thermoplastic resin having a melting point higher than that of the first component. The conjugate form is such that the centers of gravity of the conjugate components are mutually different in the fiber cross section, the fiber has a single-yarn fineness of 1 to 10 dtex, a fiber length of 3 to 20 mm, and a planar zig-zag crimp whose crimp shape index (actual length of short fiber/distance between both ends of short fiber) ranges from 1.05 to 1.60, and the web shrinkage upon thermal treatment at 145 C. of a web obtained by an air-laid method is not lower than 40%.

A process and system are provided for introducing a blend of chopped and dispersed fibers on an automated production line amenable for inclusion in molding compositions as a blended fiber mat for structural applications. The blend of fibers are simultaneously supplied to an automated cutting machine illustratively including a rotary blade chopper disposed above a vortex supporting chamber. The blend of chopped fibers and binder form a chopped mat. The chopped mat has a veil mat placed on either side, and is consolidated with the veil mat using heated rollers maintained at the softening temperature of thermoplastic binder, with consolidated mats being amenable to being stored in rolls or as flat sheets. A charge pattern is made using the consolidated mat, and the charge pattern can be compression molded in a mold maintained at a temperature lower than the melting point of the thermoplastic fibers.

A masterbatch is disclosed, along with associated methods, and biodegradable filaments, fibers, yarns and fabrics. The masterbatch includes 0.2 to 5 mass % CaCO.sub.3, an aliphatic polyester with a repeat unit having from two to six carbons in the chain between ester groups, with the proviso that the 2 to 6 carbons in the chain do not include side chain carbons, and a carrier polymer selected from the group consisting of PET, nylon, other thermoplastic polymers, and combinations thereof.

Provided herein is a new fire barrier material composed of flame retardant (FR) cellulosic fiber(s) and one or more of an antimicrobial (AM) cellulosic fiber and an untreated cellulosic fiber(s). The fire barrier material may be a fabric woven or knitted from the yarn containing the FR cellulosic fiber(s) and the one or more of AM cellulosic fibers and untreated cellulosic fibers. When AM cellulosic fibers are combined with FR treated cellulosic fibers, the fire barrier material has the dual features of flame retardancy and antimicrobial properties. The fire barrier material may also be a nonwoven, and in preferred embodiments optionally includes a binder fiber. The FR cellulosic fiber contains FR chemical(s) or FR compound(s) that have a melting point or decomposition temperature at 400 C. (752 F.) or below. The FR performance of the new nonwoven provided herein is comparable to the conventional FR nonwoven (FR cellulosic fiber/binder fiber), but has advantages in cost effectiveness, as well as antimicrobial properties.

A wet-laid nonwoven fabric sheet includes at least three types of thermoplastic fibers having different fiber diameters, in which the wet-laid nonwoven fabric sheet has a fiber diameter ratio (R/r) of a fiber diameter R of a fiber having a maximum fiber diameter to a fiber diameter r of a fiber having a minimum fiber diameter of 30?R/r?150, an average pore size of 0.10 ?m to 15 ?m, and a maximum frequency of a pore size distribution of 70% or more.

Filter media, triboelectrically charged fibers thereof, and methods for the same are discussed. The filter media may include a first plurality of fibers and/or a second plurality of fibers. The first plurality of fibers may be triboelectrically charged by the second plurality of fibers. The first plurality of fibers and the second plurality of fibers may include polylactic acid fibers and acrylic acid fibers, respectively. The first plurality of fibers and the second plurality of fibers may also include acrylic fibers and polypropylene fibers, respectively. The filter media may include one or more charge additives. A method for preparing the filter media may include contacting the first plurality of fibers with the second plurality of fibers, where contacting the first and second plurality of fibers with one another triboelectrically charges the first plurality of fibers.