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AssigneeUnicharm Corporation
InventorsTakayoshi KONISHI, Toshio HIRAOKA, Koichi YAMAKI, Noritomo KAMEDA
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A method is provided for recovering pulp fibers having little damage from a used absorbent article that contains pulp fibers and a superabsorbent polymer. The used absorbent article is treated at a temperature of greater than or equal to 80° C. with an organic acid aqueous solution having a pH no greater than 2.5, and the superabsorbent polymer is deactivated. Preferably, the pulp fibers and the deactivated superabsorbent polymer are separated from the used absorbent article after treatment with the organic acid aqueous solution, and further, a mixture including the separated pulp fibers and deactivated superabsorbent polymer is treated with an oxidizing agent, the deactivated superabsorbent polymer is decomposed, reduced in molecular weight and solubilized.
A method of recovering pulp fibers from a used absorbent article containing pulp fibers and a superabsorbent polymer, wherein the method includes a step of treating the used absorbent article at a temperature of 80° C. or higher with an organic acid aqueous solution having a pH of no higher than 2.5, to inactivate the superabsorbent polymer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.