Patent ID: 8021518
Filing Date: 2011-09-20
Classification: D21H

Abstract:
1. A method of increasing absorbency of an absorbent article produced in a papermaking process, said method comprising: (a) providing a heated drum and one or more after-driers, wherein the heated drum includes a wet end hood and a dry end hood and wherein at least one of the one or more after-driers includes an after-drier super-absorbent composition application point and optionally the heated drum includes a heated drum super-absorbent composition application point before the wet end hood, (b) transferring a paper web to the heated drum; and (c) introducing an effective amount of a super-absorbent composition to the paper web with a gas-atomizing spray boom at an after-drier super-absorbent composition application point and optionally at the heated drum super-absorbent composition application point to form the treated paper web; wherein the super-absorbent composition comprises a liquid polymer solution and a cross linker, the super-absorbent composition is heated just before it is introduced by an in-line booster heater to lower and optimize its a viscosity to between 50 and 50,000 cPs, and the super-absorbent composition only acquires its super-absorbent properties when it is heated by the heated drum.