JP2024018798A - absorbent articles - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent article that is less susceptible to structural restrictions, suppresses the odor of urine, and can make the color of urine less noticeable. The absorbent article of the present invention includes an adsorbent that adsorbs urine odor and color. Such an adsorbent has an L* value of 10 or more in the L*a*b* color system, has pores with a pore size of 1.5 to 2.0 nm in a volume of 0.006 mL/g or more, and has a pore size of 1.5 to 2.0 nm. It is characterized by having micropores of 0.3 to 0.8 nm with a volume of 0.050 mL/g or more. [Selection diagram] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to absorbent articles that absorb at least urine, such as incontinence pads, disposable diapers, and sanitary napkins.

Absorbent articles such as incontinence pads, disposable diapers, and sanitary napkins are used to absorb and retain excreta such as urine, feces, and menstrual blood from the wearer. Therefore, absorbent articles are required to reduce the odor of excrement.

As one method for reducing the odor of excrement in absorbent articles, an adsorption method using a physical adsorption deodorant such as activated carbon is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an agglomerated mixture of a deodorant made of black carbon particles, white particles selected from the group consisting of a white deodorant and a white masking substance, and a water-soluble or water-dispersible binder substance. A composition in the form of bound particles is disclosed. The composition of Patent Document 1 is used as a deodorant for absorbent articles. According to such a composition, it is possible not only to adsorb malodorous molecules but also to make the color of the black carbon particles less noticeable.

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses an absorbent article comprising an absorbent body, in which the absorbent body includes an absorbent core containing a water-absorbing polymer, and an inner sheet disposed on the skin-facing side of the absorbent core. and an outer sheet disposed on the skin-facing side of the inner sheet. In the absorbent article of Patent Document 2, the inner sheet supports activated carbon particles and is colored gray, the outer sheet is colored gray, and the outer sheet has an L*a*b* color system. The L* value at is larger than the L* value of the inner sheet. According to such an absorbent article, it is possible to suppress the odor of urine and to make the color of urine less noticeable.

Special Publication No. 5-503452 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-68681

In the absorbent article using the composition of Patent Document 1, even if the color of the black carbon particles can be made inconspicuous by the white particles, the color of the urine becomes noticeable due to the visual contrast with the white color, making it difficult to clean. There was a risk that the user would feel uncomfortable, such as a lack of sensation.

In addition, in the absorbent article of Patent Document 2, even if the color of urine can be made less noticeable, the inner sheet and outer sheet colored in a specific color are essential, so the absorbent article has structural problems. There was a problem with restrictions.

The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent article that is less likely to be subject to structural restrictions, suppresses the odor of urine, and can make the color of urine less noticeable. shall be.

As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above object, the present inventors found that the L* value of the L*a*b* color system is 10 or more, and the pores and micropores of a specific pore size have a specific volume. It has been found that the adsorbent described above can suppress the odor of urine and make the color of urine less noticeable. The present invention was completed based on this knowledge, and includes the following aspects.

(Aspect 1)
One aspect (aspect 1) of the present invention is an absorbent article including an adsorbent that absorbs the odor and color of urine,
The above adsorbent has an L* value of 10 or more in the L*a*b* color system,
It is characterized by having pores with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 nm with a volume of 0.006 mL/g or more, and having micropores with a pore diameter of 0.3 to 0.8 nm with a volume of 0.050 mL/g or more. The absorbent article is the above-mentioned absorbent article.

The absorbent article of Embodiment 1 includes an adsorbent that absorbs the odor and color of urine. This adsorbent can adsorb and retain urine pigment components (eg, urobilin, etc.) in pores with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 nm. The pigment component retained in the pores is then transferred to areas other than the pores (non-pore areas) that have a color with an L* value of 10 or more (gray to white) in the L*a*b* color system. ), making it difficult to see from the outside. The adsorbent has the above-mentioned pores with a volume of 0.006 mL/g or more, so that a sufficient amount of the pigment component can be adsorbed and retained.

Furthermore, this adsorbent can adsorb and retain odor components that cause urine odor in micropores with a pore diameter of 0.3 to 0.8 nm. Since the adsorbent has the above-mentioned micropores with a volume of 0.050 mL/g or more, it is possible to adsorb and retain a sufficient amount of odor components.

From the above, this adsorbent can suppress the odor of urine and make the color of urine less noticeable without requiring any other components other than the adsorbent (for example, a concealing sheet, a masking member, etc.). can.

Therefore, the absorbent article of this aspect 1 containing such an adsorbent is less likely to have structural restrictions, and can suppress the smell of urine and make the color of urine less noticeable. Furthermore, since ``whiteness'' has a strong effect on giving an impression of cleanliness, such absorbent articles are white before use and remain the same after use, giving users a positive impression of cleanliness. It also has the advantage of being able to give.

(Aspect 2)
Another aspect (aspect 2) of the present invention is characterized in that, in the absorbent article of aspect 1, the adsorbent is composed of a plurality of particles having a particle size of 500 μm or less.

In this embodiment 2, the adsorbent is composed of a plurality of particles having a particle size of 500 μm or less. As a result, in the absorbent article of this embodiment 2, the surface area of the adsorbent with which urine can come into contact is large, and the odor and color of urine can be adsorbed at a superior adsorption rate.

(Aspect 3)
In yet another aspect (aspect 3) of the present invention, in the absorbent article of aspect 1 or 2, the adsorbent is selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, silica gel, activated alumina, activated clay, synthetic zeolite, and synthetic polymer. It is characterized by containing at least one kind of porous material.

The above-mentioned porous substance has the advantage that it can stably exhibit an adsorption effect and that the pore diameters of the pores and micropores can be easily controlled. Therefore, the absorbent article of Aspect 3 can more reliably absorb urine odor and urine color.

(Aspect 4)
In yet another aspect (aspect 4) of the present invention, in the absorbent article of aspect 3, the adsorbent includes titanium oxide, calcium carbonate, zinc oxide, barium sulfate, magnesium oxide, kaolin, and talc. It is characterized by being covered with at least one white inorganic substance selected from.

In this embodiment 4, the adsorbent is constituted by the above-mentioned porous material and the above-mentioned white inorganic material covering the porous material. Since the above-mentioned white inorganic substance has excellent hiding power, it is possible to make the dye component held in the pores of the adsorbent (that is, the pores of the above-mentioned porous material) more difficult to see from the outside. Thereby, the absorbent article of this aspect 4 can make the color of urine even less noticeable. In addition, such an absorbent article also has the advantage of being able to give a more positive impression of cleanliness to the user.

(Aspect 5)
In yet another aspect (aspect 5) of the present invention, in the absorbent article of aspect 4, the white inorganic substance is a plurality of particles.

In this embodiment 5, the white inorganic substance covering the porous substance is a plurality of particles. Thereby, the adsorbent can adsorb and hold odor components and pigment components into the pores and micropores of the porous material through the gaps between the particles of the white inorganic material. That is, the adsorbent can make the dye component adsorbed and retained in the pores of the porous material more difficult to be visually recognized from the outside, without causing any inhibition of adsorption of the odor component or the dye component. Therefore, the absorbent article of Aspect 5 can suppress the smell of urine more reliably and make the color of urine even less noticeable.

(Aspect 6)
In yet another aspect (aspect 6) of the present invention, in the absorbent article according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, the absorbent article includes an absorbent body, and the adsorbent is on the surface and inside of the absorbent body. It is characterized by being arranged in at least one of the two.

In the absorbent article of Aspect 6, since the adsorbent is placed in a position where it easily comes into contact with urine, the adsorbent can more reliably suppress the smell of urine and make the color of urine less noticeable. .

(Aspect 7)
In yet another aspect (aspect 7) of the present invention, in the absorbent article of aspect 6, the absorbent body includes an absorbent core containing a superabsorbent polymer, and the adsorbent is in contact with the superabsorbent polymer. It is characterized by being located.

In the absorbent article of Aspect 7, since the adsorbent is placed in a position where it is more likely to come into contact with urine, the adsorbent can more reliably suppress the smell of urine and make the color of urine less noticeable. I can do it.

(Aspect 8)
In yet another aspect (aspect 8) of the present invention, in the absorbent article according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, the adsorbent has a mass of 0.1% by mass or more based on the total mass of the absorbent article. It is characterized by the fact that it is included in proportion.

Since the absorbent article of this aspect 8 contains the adsorbent in a predetermined amount or more, the adsorbent can more reliably suppress the smell of urine and make the color of urine less noticeable.

(Aspect 9)
Yet another aspect (aspect 9) of the present invention is a method for treating urine, comprising contacting urine with an adsorbent that adsorbs urine odor and color,
The above adsorbent has an L* value of 10 or more in the L*a*b* color system,
It is characterized by having pores with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 nm with a volume of 0.006 mL/g or more, and having micropores with a pore diameter of 0.3 to 0.8 nm with a volume of 0.050 mL/g or more. This is the above processing method.

The method for treating urine according to aspect 9 includes bringing an adsorbent that absorbs the odor and color of urine into contact with urine. As described above, this adsorbent can suppress the odor of urine and make the color of urine less noticeable without requiring other components.

Therefore, the method for treating urine according to aspect 9 using such an adsorbent is less likely to cause structural restrictions, suppresses the odor of urine, and makes the color of urine less noticeable, so that absorbent articles It can be applied to a wide range of applications that require the treatment of urine such as

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an absorbent article that is less likely to have structural restrictions, suppresses urine odor, and can make the color of urine less noticeable.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an incontinence pad 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an end view of the incontinence pad 1 taken along line II-II' in FIG. 1.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the absorbent article of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In addition, in this specification, ``an object (such as an incontinence pad) placed on a horizontal surface in a flat unfolded state is ``Viewing in the thickness direction of the object'' is simply called ``planar viewing''.

Furthermore, in this specification, in the thickness direction of the absorbent article, "the side that is relatively proximal to the wearer's skin surface when the absorbent article is worn" is referred to as the "skin-facing surface side." Similarly, in the thickness direction of the absorbent article, "the side relatively distal to the skin surface of the wearer when the absorbent article is worn" is referred to as the "non-skin facing side".

[Incontinence pad]
One embodiment of the absorbent article of the present invention is an incontinence pad 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the incontinence pad 1 has a longitudinal direction L and a width direction W in a plan view, and both ends in the longitudinal direction L protrude outward in an arc shape. It has an oval outer shape. Note that the external shape of the absorbent article of the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and may be any shape (for example, rectangular, oval, hourglass shape, etc.) and size depending on various uses and modes of use. can be adopted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the incontinence pad 1 includes, in the thickness direction T, a liquid-permeable top sheet 2 located on the skin-facing side and a liquid-impermeable back sheet 3 located on the non-skin-facing side. and a liquid-absorbing absorber 4 located between them as the main components. In the present embodiment, the incontinence pad 1 further includes a pair of side sheets 5, 5, etc., which are located on the skin-facing side of the top sheet 2 and extend in the longitudinal direction L at both ends in the width direction W. There is.

The incontinence pad 1 contains an adsorbent that absorbs the smell and color of urine. In this embodiment, the adsorbent is arranged inside the absorbent body 4 of the incontinence pad 1. The adsorbent has an L* value of 10 or more in the L*a*b* color system, and has a color ranging from gray to white. Furthermore, the adsorbent has pores with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 nm with a volume of 0.006 mL/g or more, and micropores with a pore diameter of 0.3 to 0.8 nm with a volume of 0.050 mL/g or more. It has by volume.

This adsorbent is capable of adsorbing and retaining pigment components (eg, urobilin, etc.) of the wearer's urine discharged into the incontinence pad 1 in pores with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 nm. The pigment component retained in the pores is distributed to areas other than the pores (non-pore areas) that have a gray to white color with an L* value of 10 or more in the L*a*b* color system. It is difficult to see from the outside because it is surrounded and hidden. Further, the adsorbent has the above-mentioned pores with a volume of 0.006 mL/g or more, so that a sufficient amount of the dye component can be adsorbed and retained.

Furthermore, this adsorbent can adsorb and retain odor components that cause urine odor (eg, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, trimethylamine, etc.) in micropores with a pore diameter of 0.3 to 0.8 nm. Further, the adsorbent has the above-mentioned micropores with a volume of 0.050 mL/g or more, so that a sufficient amount of odor components can be adsorbed and retained.

Therefore, this adsorbent suppresses the odor of urine and makes the color of urine more noticeable without the need to arrange other components other than the adsorbent in the incontinence pad 1 (for example, a concealing sheet, a masking member, etc.). It can be made difficult.

Thereby, the incontinence pad 1 containing such an adsorbent is less likely to have structural restrictions, and can suppress the smell of urine and make the color of urine less noticeable. In addition, since "white" has a strong effect on giving an impression of cleanliness, such an incontinence pad 1 is white before use and remains the same after use, giving the user a positive impression of cleanliness. It also has the advantage of being able to give.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the adsorbent that adsorbs the odor and color of urine used in the present invention will be described in more detail.

[Adsorbent]
In one embodiment of the present invention, the adsorbent is an adsorbent that adsorbs urine odor and color, and is a color having an L* value of 10 or more in the L*a*b* color system, that is, a color ranging from gray to white. It has a color of Furthermore, this adsorbent has pores with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 nm with a volume of 0.006 mL/g or more, and micropores with a pore diameter of 0.3 to 0.8 nm with a volume of 0.050 mL/g or more. It has a volume of The adsorbent is not particularly limited in terms of external color, pores, and structure other than micropores. For example, the adsorbent may be composed of a plurality of porous particles or porous fibers, or may be composed of a porous molded product having a predetermined shape.

(Exterior color)
The external color of the adsorbent is not particularly limited as long as it has an L* value of 10 or more in the L*a*b* color system, but a color with an L* value of 40 or more is preferable, and a color with an L* value of 70. The above colors are more preferred, and colors with an L* value of 80 or more (white colors) are particularly preferred.

In addition, when the adsorbent is placed at a position on the non-skin-facing surface side of the top sheet in the thickness direction of the absorbent article (for example, on the surface or inside of the absorbent body), the external color of the adsorbent is the same as that of the top sheet. It is preferable that the appearance color is such that the L* value of the skin facing surface side is 75 or more. When the L* value of the skin-facing surface of the topsheet is 75 or more, it is possible to give a clean impression to the wearer when the absorbent article starts to be used.

<Method for measuring L* value of L*a*b* color system>
The L* value of the L*a*b* color system of the surface of the adsorbent and topsheet can be measured in accordance with JIS Z 8722 using a commercially available colorimeter. As a commercially available colorimeter, for example, a colorimeter ZE6000 manufactured by Nippon Denshoku Kogyo Co., Ltd. (standard white plate [X = 93.19, Y = 95.20, Z = 112.28], reflection measurement diameter 30 mm) can be mentioned. The L* value is measured five times for each sample, and the average value is used.

(pore)
If the pores (pore diameter 1.5 to 2.0 nm) of the adsorbent have a volume of 0.006 mL/g or more, they can sufficiently adsorb and retain the pigment components of urine. However, from the viewpoint of more reliably adsorbing and retaining urine pigment components, the volume of pores with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 nm is preferably 0.008 mL/g or more, and 0.010 mL/g or more. It is more preferable that the amount is 0.040 mL/g or more, and particularly preferably 0.040 mL/g or more. Note that the upper limit of the volume of pores with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 nm is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of ease of production, etc., the volume can be set to, for example, 1.5 mL/g or less.

(micropore)
If the micropores (pore diameter 0.3 to 0.8 nm) of the adsorbent have a volume of 0.050 mL/g or more, they can sufficiently adsorb and retain the odor components of urine. However, from the viewpoint of more reliably adsorbing and retaining the odor components of urine, the volume of micropores with a pore diameter of 0.3 to 0.8 nm is preferably 0.060 mL/g or more, and 0.070 mL/g or more. It is more preferable that the amount is 0.080 mL/g or more, and particularly preferably 0.080 mL/g or more. Note that the upper limit of the volume of pores with a pore diameter of 0.3 to 0.8 nm is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of ease of production, the volume can be set to, for example, 1.5 mL/g or less.

Further, it is preferable that the adsorbent further has pores (large pores) having a pore diameter of 4.0 to 15 nm in addition to the pores and micropores described above. Large pores with such a pore size can adsorb and retain protein components (eg, albumin, etc.) contained in urine. Therefore, an adsorbent further having such large pores can fundamentally remove not only odor components contained in urine but also odors originating from protein components.

<Method for measuring pore diameter and volume>
The pore diameter and volume of various pores of the adsorbent are determined according to JIS Z 8831-2 (Pore size distribution and pore characteristics of powder (solid) - Part 2: Measuring method of mesopores and macropores by gas adsorption) It can be measured according to JIS Z 8831-3 (Pore size distribution and pore characteristics of powder (solid) - Part 3: Method for measuring micropores by gas adsorption). Note that the adsorbate gas used for gas adsorption is selected as follows depending on the pore diameter of the pore to be measured. In other words, when measuring pores with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 nm or larger pores, use argon (measuring range 0.4 to 100 nm), When measuring pores, carbon dioxide gas (measuring range 0.3-1.5 nm) is used. Note that this measurement method can be carried out using a commercially available fully automatic gas adsorption amount measuring device.

As described above, the adsorbent is preferably composed of a plurality of porous particles, although the external color, pores, and structure other than micropores are not particularly limited. When the adsorbent is composed of a plurality of particles, it has the advantage that it is easy to ensure a specific surface area of a certain level or more, and it is also easy to handle.

(Particle size)
When the adsorbent is composed of a plurality of such particles, it is more preferable that the adsorbent is composed of a plurality of particles having a particle size of 500 μm or less. When the adsorbent is composed of a plurality of particles having a particle size of 500 μm or less, the surface area of the adsorbent with which urine can come into contact is large, and the odor and color of urine can be adsorbed at a higher adsorption rate.

In addition, the particle size of the adsorbent is more preferably 200 μm or less, even more preferably 100 μm or less, and particularly preferably 50 μm or less. The lower limit of the particle size of the adsorbent is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of ease of handling, it is, for example, 0.1 μm or more, preferably 0.5 μm or more.

<Measurement method of particle size>
The particle size of the adsorbent can be measured using a laser diffraction/scattering particle size distribution analyzer (for example, LA-920 manufactured by Horiba, Ltd.) under the following predetermined conditions, for example.
・Measurement cell: Flow cell ・Particle size standard: Volume ・Dispersion medium: 90% by mass ethanol aqueous solution ・Transmittance: 70-90%
・Sample concentration: 0.1%

(Constituent material)
The material constituting the adsorbent has pores with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 nm with a volume of 0.006 mL/g or more, and 0.050 mL/g of micro pores with a pore diameter of 0.3 to 0.8 nm. Any porous material can be used without any particular restriction as long as it has a volume greater than or equal to the above. Examples of such porous materials include porous materials such as activated carbon, silica gel, activated alumina, activated clay, acid clay, synthetic zeolite, and porous synthetic polymers.

Activated carbon that can be used as an adsorbent is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include chemically activated activated carbon, steam activated activated carbon, and the like. Furthermore, examples of the chemically activated activated carbon include zinc chloride activated activated carbon, phosphoric acid activated activated carbon, and the like.

Synthetic polymers that can be used in the adsorbent include, but are not particularly limited to, synthetic polymers such as 2,6-diphenyl-p-phenylene oxide polymers and divinylbenzene-styrene copolymers.

Among the above porous substances, the adsorbent preferably contains at least one porous substance selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, silica gel, activated alumina, activated clay, synthetic zeolite, and synthetic polymer. These porous materials have the advantage that they can stably exhibit an adsorption effect and that the diameters of the pores and micropores described above can be easily controlled. Therefore, an absorbent article containing such an adsorbent can more reliably adsorb urine odor and urine color. In addition, it is more preferable that the porous substance is activated carbon from the viewpoint of versatility and ease of controlling the pore diameter.

In addition, porous particles having pores with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 nm with a volume of 0.006 mL/g or more, and micropores with a pore diameter of 0.3 to 0.8 nm with a volume of 0.050 mL/g or more The method for producing the quality substance is not particularly limited. For example, activated carbon having such pores and micropores can be produced through a carbonization process in which raw materials such as plant-derived raw materials are carbonized at a temperature of 800°C to 1400°C, and a carbonized activated carbon precursor is heated with an acid (for example, fluorinated carbonate). A process of treatment with a fluorine compound such as hydrogen chloride, hydrofluoric acid, etc.) or an alkali (e.g., sodium hydroxide), and a heat treatment using a gas such as oxygen or water vapor as an activator, or zinc chloride, phosphoric acid, In the method for manufacturing activated carbon, which includes an activation treatment step of activating by chemical treatment using a chemical such as sulfuric acid as an activator, various manufacturing conditions such as the type of raw material, carbonization temperature, and activation treatment conditions are appropriately selected. This can be obtained by controlling the pore size and volume of the pores.

The plant-derived raw materials that can be used as raw materials for activated carbon are not particularly limited, and include, for example, rice, wheat, barley, millet, millet, straw, rice husks, coconut shells, wakame stems, conifers, vascular plants, fern plants, and moss. Examples include plants such as plants, algae, and seaweeds. These plant-derived raw materials may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The structure of the porous material other than having the above-mentioned pores and micropores is not particularly limited, and the porous material may have a particulate structure such as powder, granules, or granules, or a fibrous structure. It may have.

Further, there are no particular restrictions on the means for making the external appearance color of the adsorbent a color with an L* value of 10 or more in the L*a*b* color system. For example, the L* value of the adsorbent may be adjusted to 10 or more by covering the surface of a porous material such as activated carbon with a white inorganic material, or only porous materials with a white color can be used. The L* value of the adsorbent may be adjusted to 10 or more by forming the adsorbent using the following. Note that examples of the porous material having a white color include synthetic zeolite and acid clay.

In this embodiment, the adsorbent is such that the porous material is covered with at least one white inorganic material selected from titanium oxide, calcium carbonate, zinc oxide, barium sulfate, magnesium oxide, kaolin, and talc. It is preferable. These white inorganic substances have excellent hiding power, so if the adsorbent is composed of the above porous substance and a white inorganic substance covering the porous substance, it will be adsorbed and retained in the pores of the porous substance. It is possible to make the pigment components of the urine that have been removed even more difficult to be visually recognized from the outside. In addition, an absorbent article containing such an adsorbent also has the advantage of being able to give a more positive impression of cleanliness to the user.

It is more preferable that the white inorganic substance is a plurality of particles. When the adsorbent is composed of the above porous material and a plurality of white inorganic material particles covering the porous material, it absorbs the odor components and pigment components of urine and fills the gaps between the particles of the white inorganic material. It can pass through and be adsorbed and held in the pores and micropores of porous materials. In other words, the adsorbent can make the pigment components adsorbed and retained within the pores of the porous material more difficult to be visually recognized from the outside without causing any inhibition of the adsorption of urine odor components or pigment components. Therefore, an absorbent article containing such an adsorbent can suppress the smell of urine more reliably and make the color of urine even less noticeable.

Here, the means for covering the surface of the porous substance with the white inorganic substance is not particularly limited, and for example, the white inorganic substance may be attached to the surface of the porous substance via an adhesive such as an arbitrary binder. good.

(Positions)
The adsorbent constructed in this manner can be placed at any position of the absorbent article. For example, the adsorbent can be placed at a position closer to the skin-facing surface than the back sheet. Specifically, the adsorbent may be placed on the surface and/or inside of the top sheet of the absorbent article, or on the surface and/or inside of the intermediate sheet placed between the top sheet and the absorbent body. It may be placed in Alternatively, the adsorbent may be placed on at least one of the surface and inside of the absorber. Furthermore, in that case, the adsorbent may be arranged on the surface and/or inside of at least one of the absorbent core and core wrap sheet that constitute the absorbent body.

Among these positions, the adsorbent is preferably placed on at least one of the surface and inside of the absorber. If the adsorbent is placed in a position where it can easily come into contact with urine, the adsorbent can more reliably suppress the smell of urine and make the color of urine less noticeable.

(Content)
The content of the adsorbent when disposed in the absorbent article is not particularly limited as long as it does not impede the effects of the present invention, but the content of the adsorbent is 0.1% by mass or more based on the total mass of the absorbent article. It is preferable that it is contained in a mass proportion of . When the adsorbent is contained in the absorbent article in such a mass proportion, the adsorbent can more reliably suppress the odor of urine and make the color of urine less noticeable.

In addition, it is more preferable that the adsorbent is contained in a mass proportion of 0.5% by mass or more, and more preferably contained in a mass proportion of 1.0% by mass or more with respect to the total mass of the absorbent article. Particularly preferred. The upper limit of the content of the adsorbent is not particularly limited, and for example, the adsorbent can be contained in a mass proportion of 15% by mass or less based on the total mass of the absorbent article. Note that the mass proportion of the adsorbent can be measured as follows.

<Method for measuring mass ratio of adsorbent>
(1) Take out the component on which the adsorbent is arranged (for example, the absorbent core or core wrap sheet of the absorbent body) from the absorbent article.
(2) Recover the adsorbent from the removed component using physical means (for example, vibration means, etc.) and/or chemical means (for example, a solvent capable of dissolving the binder component). At this time, if foreign substances other than the adsorbent (for example, fiber fragments, etc.) are present, remove the foreign substances using tweezers while using a magnifying observation means such as a microscope or a simple loupe, and remove only the adsorbent. to recover.
(3) After measuring the mass (g) of the collected adsorbent, calculate the mass ratio (%) of the adsorbent by dividing this by the total mass (g) of the absorbent article and multiplying by 100. I can do it.

Hereinafter, various constituent members of the absorbent article of the present invention will be explained in detail using the incontinence pad 1 of the above-described embodiment. Note that since the constituent members of the absorbent article differ depending on the type of the absorbent article, the mode of use, etc., the various constituent members described below are not necessarily essential constituent members for the absorbent article.

(Top sheet)
In the incontinence pad 1 described above, the top sheet 2 extends from the front edge to the rear edge in the longitudinal direction L of the incontinence pad 1 in a plan view, as shown in FIG. It has a vertically elongated external shape extending from near one edge in the width direction W to near the other edge. As shown in FIG. 2, the top sheet 2 is a liquid-permeable sheet that is disposed on the skin-facing surface side in the thickness direction T of the incontinence pad 1 and forms a contact surface that can come into contact with the wearer's skin. It is composed of a sheet-like member. Examples of the liquid-permeable sheet-like member include air-through nonwoven fabric.

The external shape, various dimensions, basis weight, etc. of the top sheet 2 are not particularly limited, and any shape, various dimensions, basis weight, etc. can be adopted depending on the desired liquid permeability, texture, flexibility, strength, etc. can.

In addition, the adsorbent having the above-mentioned L* value in the L*a*b* color system of 10 or more and having the above-mentioned specific pores and micropores is suitable for use on the skin-facing surface side of the top sheet 2 and/or on the non-skin facing surface side. It may be arranged on the surface of the skin-facing side, or it may be arranged inside the topsheet 2.

(Back sheet)
In the above-described incontinence pad 1, the back sheet 3 extends from the front edge in the longitudinal direction L of the incontinence pad 1 to the rear edge in the longitudinal direction L, and extends from one side in the width direction W of the incontinence pad 1. It has a vertically long external shape extending from one end edge to the other end edge. As shown in FIG. 2, the back sheet 3 is disposed at a position on the non-skin facing surface side in the thickness direction T of the incontinence pad 1, so that excrement such as urine that has passed through the absorbent body 4 is prevented from forming on the incontinence pad 1. It is made of a liquid-impermeable sheet-like member that prevents leakage to the outside. Examples of liquid-impermeable sheet-like members include resin films and SMS nonwoven fabrics.

The outer shape, various dimensions, basis weight, etc. of the back sheet 3 are not particularly limited, and any shape, various dimensions, basis weight, etc. can be adopted depending on the desired leak-proof performance, air permeability, strength, etc.

In addition, the adsorbent having the above-mentioned L* value of the L*a*b* color system of 10 or more and having the above-mentioned specific pores and micropores is suitable for the surface of the back sheet 3 facing the skin and/or Or it may be placed inside.

In the above-mentioned incontinence pad 1, an adhesive part for adhesively fixing the incontinence pad 1 to the inner surface of the wearer's underwear may be arranged on the surface of the back sheet 3 on the non-skin facing side. Further, a liquid-impermeable leak-proof sheet may be further provided at a position between the back sheet 3 and the absorbent body 4. Note that examples of the leak-proof sheet include resin films made of any thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene and polypropylene.

(Absorber)
In the above-mentioned incontinence pad 1, as shown in FIG. 1, the absorber 4 extends from the vicinity of one edge in the longitudinal direction L of the incontinence pad 1 to the vicinity of the other edge in the longitudinal direction L, and absorbs the incontinence. The pad 1 has a vertically elongated external shape extending from the vicinity of one side edge to the vicinity of the other side edge in the width direction W of the pad 1 . More specifically, the absorbent body 4 has a generally gourd-shaped vertically elongated outer shape in which the central portion in the longitudinal direction L is narrowed inward in the width direction W when viewed from above.

As shown in FIG. 2, the absorbent body 4 is disposed between the top sheet 2 and the back sheet 3 in the thickness direction T of the incontinence pad 1, and absorbs excrement such as urine that has passed through the top sheet 2. It is made of a predetermined water-absorbing member that can be held as a water-absorbing member. Specifically, the absorbent core 4 includes an absorbent core made of a water-absorbing material and a core wrap sheet made of a hydrophilic fiber sheet that wraps around the absorbent core.

The water-absorbent material constituting the absorbent core is not particularly limited as long as it can absorb and retain excreta such as urine, and any water-absorbent material known in the art can be used. Examples of such water-absorbing materials include superabsorbent polymers and hydrophilic fibers.

Examples of the superabsorbent polymer include powders or granules made of superabsorbent polymers such as sodium acrylate copolymers known in the art, so-called SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer). Specific examples of superabsorbent polymers include polymers or copolymers of (meth)acrylic acid or alkali metal salts of (meth)acrylate, preferably polymers or copolymers of sodium (meth)acrylate. Things can be mentioned. In this specification, (meth)acrylic acid means acrylic acid or methacrylic acid.

On the other hand, specific examples of hydrophilic fibers include pulp fibers, cotton, rayon, cellulose fibers such as acetate, and the like.

Note that the absorbent core may contain either only one of the superabsorbent polymer or the hydrophilic fibers, or may contain both the superabsorbent polymer and the hydrophilic fibers.

In the above-described incontinence pad 1, the absorbent body 4 is composed of an absorbent core containing a superabsorbent polymer and a core wrap sheet made of a hydrophilic fiber sheet. Then, an adsorbent having the above-mentioned L* value of the L*a*b* color system of 10 or more and having the above-mentioned specific pores and micropores is arranged inside the absorber 4. More specifically, the adsorbent is disposed in a dispersed manner with the superabsorbent polymer within the absorbent core. That is, the adsorbent is placed in contact with the superabsorbent polymer. In this way, when the adsorbent is placed in a position where it is particularly likely to come into contact with urine, the adsorbent can more reliably suppress the smell of urine and make the color of urine less noticeable.

In addition, the adsorbent may be arranged on the surface portion of the absorbent core, or may be arranged on the inner surface of the core wrap sheet that can come into contact with the absorbent core. Furthermore, the adsorbent may be placed on the outer surface of the core wrap sheet (particularly on the surface facing the skin) or inside the core wrap sheet.

The hydrophilic fiber sheet constituting the core wrap sheet is not particularly limited as long as excretions such as urine can pass therethrough, and any hydrophilic fiber sheet known in the art can be used. Examples of such a hydrophilic fiber sheet include tissue having a basis weight of about 10.0 g/m ² to 20.0 g/m ² , which is formed using bleached softwood kraft pulp as a main raw material.

The outer shape, various dimensions, basis weight, etc. of the absorbent body 4 are not particularly limited, and any shape, various dimensions, basis weight, etc. can be adopted depending on desired water absorbency, flexibility, strength, etc.

(side seat)
In the above-mentioned incontinence pad 1, the pair of side sheets 5, 5 are, as shown in FIG. It has a band-like outer shape. As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of side sheets 5, 5 are arranged at positions on the skin-facing surface side of the top sheet 2 in the thickness direction T of the incontinence pad 1. Each of the pair of side sheets 5, 5 has an outer end in the width direction W joined to the skin-facing surface of the back sheet 3 to form a fixed end, and a fixed end in the width direction W. The inner end of W is not joined to any component and forms a free end.

When each of the pair of side sheets 5, 5 is worn, the incontinence pad 1 is deformed so as to curve in the longitudinal direction L, so that the inner end in the width direction W, which is the free end, stands up, and the incontinence pad 1 is A pair of leakage prevention walls can be formed to prevent leakage of excrement such as. The pair of side sheets 5, 5 can be formed of hydrophilic or hydrophobic sheet-like members. Examples of the hydrophilic or hydrophobic sheet-like member include hydrophilic or hydrophobic nonwoven fabrics, resin films, and the like.

The external shape, various dimensions, basis weight, etc. of each of the pair of side sheets 5, 5 are not particularly limited, and any shape, various dimensions, basis weight, etc. can be adopted according to the desired leak-proof performance, etc. .

In addition, the adsorbent having the above-mentioned L* value of the L*a*b* color system of 10 or more and having the above-mentioned specific pores and micropores is used on the skin-facing side of the pair of side sheets 5, 5. And/or it may be arranged on the surface of the non-skin facing side, or it may be arranged inside the pair of side sheets 5, 5.

(Application)
The present invention can be applied to various absorbent articles such as disposable diapers, sanitary napkins, panty liners, and absorbent pads, in addition to the incontinence pads of the embodiments described above.

Furthermore, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to absorbent articles. The present invention is applicable to a wide range of applications requiring treatment of urine.

[Processing method]
Another embodiment of the invention is a method of treating urine that includes contacting the urine with an adsorbent that adsorbs urine odor and color. In this embodiment as well, the adsorbent has an L* value of 10 or more in the L*a*b* color system, and further has pores with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 nm and a volume of 0.006 mL/g or more. and has micropores with a pore diameter of 0.3 to 0.8 nm with a volume of 0.050 mL/g or more.

The urine processing method of the present embodiment includes contacting urine with an adsorbent that absorbs the odor and color of urine, and as described above, the adsorbent absorbs urine without requiring other components. It can suppress the odor of urine and make the color of urine less noticeable. Therefore, the urine processing method of the present embodiment using such an adsorbent is less likely to cause structural restrictions, suppresses the odor of urine, and makes the color of urine less conspicuous, so that it can be used in absorbent articles. It can be applied to a wide range of applications that require the treatment of urine such as

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments or the following examples, and can be appropriately combined, substituted, and changed within the scope of the purpose and gist of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail by illustrating Examples and Comparative Examples, but the present invention is not limited only to these Examples.

(Example 1)
0.9 g of activated carbon (chemical-activated activated carbon, manufactured by Osaka Gas Chemical Co., Ltd., product number: Strong White Eagle, raw material: softwood, particle size (median diameter): 52 μm) as a porous material, and titanium oxide (particles) as a white inorganic material. diameter: 0.25 μm) and 1.31 g of the binder component (a mixture of 0.05 g of 45% alkyl acrylate copolymer liquid, 0.01 g of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and 1.25 g of water) were mixed. Afterwards, the mixture was dried at 115° C. for 2 hours. Next, the dried mixture was pulverized using a pulverizer to obtain the adsorbent of Example 1 in which the surface of activated carbon particles was covered with a plurality of titanium oxide particles.

(Example 2)
Except that activated carbon (steam activated activated carbon, manufactured by Osaka Gas Chemical Co., Ltd., product number: Shirawashi M, raw material: softwood, particle size (median diameter): 45 μm) with different pore volumes was used as the porous material. , An adsorbent of Example 2 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1.

(Example 3)
It was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, except that porous carbon materials (commercial product (commercial use), raw material: rice husk, particle size: 10 μm) with different pore volumes and raw materials, etc. were used as the porous material. The adsorbent of Example 3 was obtained.

(Example 4)
Example 1 was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, except that porous carbon materials (commercial product (commercial use), raw material: rice husk, particle size: 80 μm or less) with different pore volumes and raw materials were used as the porous substance. The adsorbent of Example 4 was obtained.

(Example 5)
The procedure was the same as in Example 1, except that porous carbon materials (commercial product (commercial use), raw material: rice husk, particle size: 200 to 500 μm) with different pore volumes and raw materials were used as the porous material. The adsorbent of Example 5 was obtained.

(Comparative example 1)
Activated carbon (steam activated activated carbon, manufactured by Osaka Gas Chemicals Co., Ltd., product number: Shirawashi WP, raw material: coconut shell, particle size (median diameter): 25 μm) with different pore volumes and raw materials was used as the porous material. Except for the above, an adsorbent of Comparative Example 1 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1.

The volumes of pores with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 nm and micropores with a pore diameter of 0.3 to 0.8 nm of the various porous materials used in the production of Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Example 1 were determined by Anton Paar. The measurement was carried out using a constant volume method using a fully automatic gas adsorption measuring device (AS-iQ-C) manufactured by Kawasaki. The results of these measurements are shown in Table 1 below.

In addition, the L* value of the L*a*b* color system of each adsorbent of Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Example 1 was measured as described above in <Method for measuring L* value of the L*a*b* color system>. Furthermore, the adsorption evaluation of urine color and urine odor of each adsorbent was carried out according to the following <Urine color adsorption evaluation method and urine odor adsorption evaluation method>. These measurement results and evaluation results are shown in Table 1 below.

<Urine color adsorption evaluation and urine odor evaluation method>
(1) Put 0.2 g of the adsorbent to be evaluated into a sample bottle with a predetermined volume (for example, 50 mL), add 30 mL of actual adult urine, and immerse the adsorbent in the urine.
(2) Close the lid of the sample bottle to make it airtight, and leave it as it is for 15 hours.
(3) After 15 hours, open the lid of the sample bottle, smell the contents, and perform a sensory evaluation of the intensity of the urine odor. In addition, in the sensory evaluation, cases where the urine odor is hardly recognizable are judged as "good" (represented by the symbol "〇"), and cases where the urine odor can be clearly recognized are judged as "poor" (represented by the symbol "x"). ).
(4) Filter the contents after 15 hours in (3) above to separate the adsorbent and the filtrate.
(5) Pour a predetermined amount of the filtrate into a quartz cell, install a standard white plate on the back of the quartz cell, and use a colorimeter (Konica Minolta Color Difference Meter CR-400, standard white plate [Y = 93.0, x =0.3139, y=0.3202], measurement diameter/illumination diameter = φ8/φ11 mm), the b* value of the L*a*b* color system of the filtrate is measured. This measured b* value is recorded as the "b* value after adsorption."
(6) As a blank, the b* value of the L*a*b* color system of the urine without immersing the adsorbent is measured in the same manner as in the procedure (5) above. This measured b* value is recorded as the "b* value before adsorption."
(7) Based on the following formula, calculate the b* value reduction rate (%) of the adsorbent to be evaluated, and record this as "dye adsorption rate (%)".
b* value reduction rate (%) = (b* value before adsorption - b* value after adsorption) / b* value before adsorption x 100
(8) From the obtained dye adsorption rate, the degree of decrease in urine color is determined based on the following criteria.
◎ (Excellent): Dye adsorption rate exceeds 80% 〇 (Good): Dye adsorption rate is 80% or less and exceeds 50% × (Poor): Dye adsorption rate is 50% or less

As shown in Table 1, each of the adsorbents of Examples 1 to 5 of the present invention was found to be able to adsorb the color and odor of urine well. On the other hand, it was found that the adsorbent of Comparative Example 1 could not sufficiently adsorb the color of urine.

1 Incontinence pad 2 Top sheet 3 Back sheet 4 Absorbent body 5 Side sheet

Claims (9)

An absorbent article comprising an adsorbent that absorbs the odor and color of urine,
The adsorbent has an L* value of 10 or more in the L*a*b* color system,
It is characterized by having pores with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 nm with a volume of 0.006 mL/g or more, and having micropores with a pore diameter of 0.3 to 0.8 nm with a volume of 0.050 mL/g or more. The absorbent article. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the adsorbent is composed of a plurality of particles having a particle size of 500 μm or less. The absorbent according to claim 1, wherein the adsorbent contains at least one porous material selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, silica gel, activated alumina, activated clay, synthetic zeolite, and synthetic polymer. Goods. The adsorbent is characterized in that the porous material is covered with at least one white inorganic material selected from titanium oxide, calcium carbonate, zinc oxide, barium sulfate, magnesium oxide, kaolin, and talc. , The absorbent article according to claim 3. The absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein the white inorganic substance is a plurality of particles. The absorbent article includes an absorbent body,
The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the adsorbent is disposed on at least one of the surface and inside of the absorbent body. The absorbent body includes an absorbent core comprising a superabsorbent polymer,
The absorbent article according to claim 6, wherein the adsorbent is placed in contact with the superabsorbent polymer. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the adsorbent is contained in a mass proportion of 0.1% by mass or more based on the total mass of the absorbent article. A method of treating urine comprising contacting the urine with an adsorbent that adsorbs the odor and color of the urine, the method comprising:
The adsorbent has an L* value of 10 or more in the L*a*b* color system,
It is characterized by having pores with a pore diameter of 1.5 to 2.0 nm with a volume of 0.006 mL/g or more, and having micropores with a pore diameter of 0.3 to 0.8 nm with a volume of 0.050 mL/g or more. The above-mentioned processing method.

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