Process for producing synthetic pulp from a film of a mixture of polypropylene and low density polyethylene

A process for producing a synthetic pulp which comprises:

• a. making a composition consisting of
• 1. 50 to 90 parts by weight of polypropylene having a melt flow rate of 30 to 150 as measured at 230.degree.C and under a load of 2.16 kg and
• 2. 50 to 10 parts by weight of low density polyethylene,
• into a film having a thickness of 70 .mu. or less,
• b. uniaxially stretching the resulting film to at least 8 times its original length,
• c. cutting the film thus stretched to lengths of 5 mm or less, and
• d. fibrillating the cut film lengths by passing them through at least two clearances having a distance of 5 mm or less formed between a plurality of linear projections on the inner peripheral surface of a cylindrical casing and the tip ends of at least two sets of a large number of vanes rotating therein at a peripheral speed of 92 - 100.sup.m /sec. whereby a crumpling and disintegrating action mainly by blows and a whirling air stream is brought about to effect fibrillation, and
• e. recovering a synthetic pulp having the following characteristics
• 1. the fibrils being branched in a developed manner from a trunk,
• 2. the trunks and fibrils being extended in various large and small creep or snake-like forms along the longitudinal direction thereof,
• 3. the sizes of the trunks substantially being less than 20 deniers and most of the sizes being less than 5 deniers,
• 4. as the sizes of the trunks are increased, the width is increased as compared with the thickness,
• 5. the length of the trunks being less than 5 mm, and the trunks having substantially uniform fiber lengths for any given length,
• 6. the fibers of each pulp being slightly entangled with one another when collected, and
• 7. the pulp being free from small twisted masses caused by firm entanglement of the fibers and free from molten small particles.