Treated fibers and fibrous structures comprising the same
AssigneeKimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
InventorsJian Qin, Youquan Su, Liyi Shi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides a treated fiber having reduced hydrogen bonding capabilities, which may be useful in the production of tissue products having improved bulk and softness. The treated fiber comprises a water-insoluble inorganic compound that is generated in situ by reacting at least one compound selected from the group consisting of a silicate, a silyl, a silane, and an alkaline metal and a precipitation agent in the presence of the fiber at or above the critical fiber consistency.
Claims20
A method of increasing the bulk of a tissue web comprising the steps of:
- a. dispersing a first fiber in an aqueous solvent to form a fiber slurry,
- b. adding a first reagent selected from the group consisting of a silicate, a silyl, a silane, and an alkaline metal to the first fiber slurry,
- c. partially dewatering the first fiber slurry to a consistency equal to, or greater than, about 15 percent to form a partially dewatered fiber slurry,
- d. adding a precipitation agent to the partially dewatered first fiber slurry to form a treated fiber comprising a water-insoluble inorganic;
- and
- e. forming a tissue web from the treated fiber, wherein the tissue web has a sheet bulk greater than about 5.0 cc/g and a basis weight less than about 60 gsm.
A tissue product comprising at least one multi-layered tissue web having a first fibrous layer, a second fibrous layer, and a third fibrous layer, the first and third fibrous layers comprising untreated cellulosic fibers and the second fibrous layer comprising treated fiber comprising at least about 5,000 ppm water-insoluble inorganic selected from silicone, aluminum and zinc, wherein the treated fiber comprises at least about 5 percent of the total weight of the multi-layered web.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.