FIELD: chemistry.
SUBSTANCE: described is a method of producing a dispersible nonwoven substrate in an aqueous medium comprising, consisting of or consisting essentially of bringing into contact a fibrous substrate with an aqueous nonwoven binder containing an emulsion polymer, having a polydispersity coefficient of at least 10, weight average molecular weight of less than 1,000,000 and 8 wt. % to 22 wt. % of acid monomer by weight of emulsion polymer. Aqueous nonwoven binder can be obtained by a method involving the following steps: a) emulsion polymerisation of at least one monoethylenically unsaturated monomer and at least one acidic monomer in an aqueous solution using an initiator, wherein the initiator is present in the aqueous solution in amount of 0.5 wt. % to 1.5 wt. % of total weight of monomers, to obtain an emulsion polymer; and b) neutralizing the emulsion polymer with a neutraliser selected from a group consisting of an amine having pKb from 4 to 7, hydroxide of an alkali metal and combinations thereof to obtain an aqueous nonwoven binder.
EFFECT: dispersible non-woven substrates can be used to produce dispersible napkins, such as baby napkins, sanitary napkins, cleaning napkins, or any other wet non-woven materials containing lotion with pH less than 5 or 6.
13 cl, 13 tbl
