Patent ID: 7731819

Claim:
A wet-crepe process for making absorbent sheet comprising the steps of: (a) preparing an aqueous cellulosic fibrous furnish, wherein at least about 15% by weight of the fiber based on the weight of cellulosic fiber in the furnish is lignin-rich, high coarseness, high yield, virgin fiber having an average fiber length of at least about 2 mm and a coarseness of at least about 20 mg/100 m; (b) depositing said aqueous fibrous furnish on a foraminous support; (c) dewatering said furnish to form a web; (d) applying said dewatered web to a heated rotating cylinder and drying said web to a consistency of greater than about 30% and less than about 90%; (e) creping said web from said heated cylinder at said consistency of greater than about 30% and less than about 90% with a creping blade provided with an undulatory creping surface adapted to contact said cylinder; and (f) drying said web subsequent to creping said web from said heated cylinder to form said absorbent sheet.