The Emulsions & PVOH business of Celanese has received a U.S. patent for its Dur-O-Set Elite Ultra binder technology which improves the wet strength characteristics of nonwovens and other substrates in both water and solvent applications.  This product  improves wet strength by more than 40% over previous state-of-the-art technology.  It also allows manufacturers to reach wet strength targets by using 10-25% less binder, reducing overall costs of production. This patent covers vinyl acetate based emulsions including vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE), vinyl acrylic or vinyl acetate homopolymer.

According to David Nass, business manager, Engineered Fabrics for Celanese, the new technology represented by Dur-O-Set Elite Ultra was developed in response to a requirement by the nonwovens industry for stronger and softer airlaid nonwovens.  “For nonwovens manufacturers, the options for increasing wet strength via increased binder content, cross-linking additives and the introduction of biocomponent fibers were seen as too costly and performance limiting, ” he said. “In applications where wet strength is critical, the technology of Dur-O-Set Elite Ultra offers greater flexibility for balancing performance and economics.  It offers nonwovens producers a wide range of new commercial options that weren’t available. This is a real industry breakthrough and we have seen a substantial commercial response to this technology.”

The major application for the Dur-O-Set Elite Ultra technology is in a broad range of wipes— a key growth area for nonwovens manufacturers and for consumer products companies. End-use applications for this technology include pre-moistened personal care and baby wipes, household cleaning products and industrial wipes where strength and durability are critical issues.  These improved performance characteristics will offer end-product manufacturers the opportunity to commercialize new product forms and to grow the overall wipes category.