Bio-based nonwoven fabric-like materials produced by paper machines

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is, in collaboration with the Swedish company Innventia, to explore the possibilities of using paper machines to create fabric-like nonwoven materials. As part of a relatively new research-area, it serves as some of the ground knowledge that is needed to drive this field forward. The research of this thesis is born from the increasing need for more environmental friendly textiles, and to find new uses for the paper production facilities and companies that are currently experiencing a decline in paper production. The materials used in the research were produced with the Finnish handsheet former and the StratEx sheet-maker made by Innventia. The research consists of the following tests: Tissue Softness Analysis, (TSA), tensile strength and bending stiffness. The tests are done with different combinations of lyocell, PLA, softwood and dissolving pulp in the tested sheets. It is also tested if the lyocell can be a meaningful substitution for PLA in combination with softwood pulp and dissolving pulp when creating the fabric-like materials. In conclusion of this research it can be said that, compared to benchmarking samples like bedding sheets, table cloths and cotton shirts, the sheets created and tested are competitive alternatives to existing materials when it comes to softness. It also became clear that the tensile strength has to be increased to make fabric-like nonwoven materials applicable on the same level as existing textiles. Even so, it is still evident that there is a potentiality in the use of paper machines in the development and creation of new fabric-like materials.