Biodegradable Cellulosic Sanitary Napkins from Waste Cotton and Natural Extract Based Anti‑bacterial Nanocolorants

Abstract

With the aim to develop biodegradable quality sanitary
pads at affordable prices to the schoolgirls and women, locally available
cotton waste materials and anti-bacterial nanocolorants are used
to prepare anti-bacterial biodegradable absorbent material suitable
for sanitary napkins and diapers. Cotton fluff from loom waste was collected, cleaned and hydro-entangled to form absorbent sheet. The sheet shows water absorbency of more than 470%. Electrochemically synthesized natural extract (from neem and orange peel) based nanocolorants were incorporated in the material to improve their anti-bacterial ability. Further, microporous polylactic acid biodegradable sheet was used to pack the absorbent layer and its performance was tested. This antibacterial biodegradable absorbent pad would be an ideal substitute for synthetic sanitary pads considering its 100% biodegradability. This can provide a long-term viable alternative to the current practices