Absorbent material and a method of making same

An absorbent material comprising a non-woven fibre sheet having a plurality of relatively distinct layers, said non-woven sheet being arranged to have at each face a surface layer and have a region of lower density absorbent material therebetween, each surface layer having a higher compactness of fibres compared to the region of said lower density material of said absorbent material therebetween, and thus each said surface layer being of a higher density than the region of said absorbent material therebetween, said higher compactness of fibres in each said surface layer being maintained by higher tack entanglement between fibres as compared to said region of said absorbent material therebetween where the substantial majority of fibres remain in a plane parallel of the sheet, said lower density region including areas or pillars of enhanced fibre entanglement to create structures comprising channels, edge sealing or discreet zones within said material to control flow or movement of any absorbed liquid,

• said absorbent material being formed from a blend of fibres including a proportion of hydrophobic fibres and a proportion of activated fibrous bonding agent, said hydrophobic fibres and said activated fibrous bonding agent adhering together in a resilient voluminous structure resistant to percussive pressure, said voluminous structure having air spaces between said fibres arranged to hold liquid despite such percussive pressure.