Patent ID: 6918981

Claim:
A process for making an absorbent fibrous web composite, comprising the steps of: providing a first superabsorbent polymer precursor composition; providing a second superabsorbent polymer precursor composition capable of chemically reacting with the first superabsorbent polymer precursor composition upon contact; providing a pre-formed fibrous web including a plurality of hydrophilic fibers; applying the first superabsorbent polymer precursor composition as spaced apart microdroplets having a diameter of about 10 to about 1000 microns to the fibrous web using a non-contact printing process which is not a spraying process; separately applying the second superabsorbent polymer precursor composition as spaced apart microdroplets having a diameter of about 10 to about 1000 microns to the fibrous web using a non-contact printing process which is not a spraying process, whereupon the second superabsorbent polymer precursor composition initially comes into contact with the first superabsorbent polymer precursor composition after being applied to the fibrous web; and chemically reacting the first and second superabsorbent polymer precursor compositions on or in the fibrous web to form superabsorbent polymer consisting essentially of spaced apart particles having a spacing, of 50-4000 microns and a dry diameter of about 10 to about 1000 microns; wherein the superabsorbent polymer constitutes 20-75% by weight of the absorbent composite.