Progressive Approach of SAPs in Disposable Hygiene Industry

Abstract

In modern era of the days, disposable personal hygiene products are indispensable or inseparable from human lives. They have made our lives comfortable, reduced the dependency of sick and old-aged people, they have provided flexibility to do all kinds of work at any time and any place for women and children. The cellulose fluff/superabsorbent polymers/hydrogels have made our lives easier and convenient by absorbing high amount of body fluid in their polymeric backbone. The most versatile and easily available such material is synthesized from acrylic acid named as sodium polyacrylate which is very soft like cotton, white like sugar, and is of very lightweight to make thin and lightweight disposable hygiene products. In spite of showing so many advantages to human life, these disposable diapers/sanitary napkins are not good for environment owing to the deposition in landfills as the acrylate-based polymers are not degradable in nature. The only solution to this concern is the development of degradable SAPs or hydrogels. Considering these researchers have started developing cellulose-based hydrogels which are biodegradable in nature. These cellulose-based hydrogels have already found their place in other sectors, such as biomedical applications, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and wound dressing, and etherified and esterified derivatives of cellulose had the capacity to replace the synthetic superabsorbent polymers, and thus can be employed in personal hygiene products as well.