Living Color and Fibers

Algaeing™ with our spunlaid technologies capabilities,” he says.

Avgol Nonwovens has been in the Spunlaid fabric market since the 1980s, then joining the Indorama Ventures family of companies in 2018.

“Our focus had been on the hygiene market, supplying many of the components used in baby care, menstruation management, and incontinence markets,” says Nick Carter, Vice President, Marketing. “The COVID pandemic was a catalytic moment in company history, as we were approached by non-hygiene industries to bring large volumes of high-quality products to other markets, including filtration. COVID also seems to be a catalytic moment in the filtration industry, as consumer concerns over healthy, purified indoor environments became a priority.”

Whether for automotive, public transportation, home or office/work environments, the consumer became much more interested in “upping their game” by spending more for higher qualities of filtration. Avgol Nonwovens has found that many of the product performance triggers for hygiene and filtration overlap, when designed to selectively separate or filter a “contaminant.” Since, Avgol has brought a product portfolio of technologies to the filtration mar ket and will continue to develop new products in this area.

Seaweed Is Believing

Jumping into a plant-based solution came as a collaboration, working closely with Algaeing™ – a small company that has worked to produce non-toxic, biodegradable, and natural fibers and dyes for textile using algae since 2016. “The Algaeing™ team helped to create conceptual products that advance the sustainability factor of our portfolios,” says Carter. These sample products illustrate how Algaeing™ colorants can be used in various fiber applications, like coloration of PPE and thread. Avgol Nonwovens showcased them at the FILTECH show in Germany.

“This technology is applicable as both topical and integral color in our component materials. As one would imagine, thermal stability, color stability, and odor can be a challenge when using bio-sourced components. Very interesting solutions have been, and continue to be, identified as we continue to mesh technologies like

The use of bio-colorants is one of many solutions in Avgol’s overarching strategy of creating biodegradable and recycle materials for use in various applications. They are looking for performance modifiers that are readily separated through advanced or chemical recycling means, while also supporting release back into the environment when the “encapsulating” or “framework” polymer structure is removed through biodegradation. “Avoiding SOI’s and SIN listed chemistries is critical as we have to adjust our perspective of what was once safely sequestered away in the media now has the potential to be released much more quickly in a different form to the environment,” notes Carter.

These new sustainable technologies have a higher cost today and are quite often impacted by economy scale. Yet, that is where doing the best thing, not the most economical, comes into consideration for companies who want to be eco-friendly. “For Avgol, to consider using a compound that is known to be harmful if released in higher-than-normal concentrations through aggressive biodegradation is simply not a viable path to be taken in the design process,” affirms Carter.

Testing the Marketplace

As a provider to the nonwoven product production process, Avgol’s component materials are wound, spooled and/or laminated together by the manufacturers as part of the subsequent article of sale. Their manufacturing partners have helped them test their product for quality and performance. “We test the materi als through a combination of nonwoven performance protocols, such as ISO standards and well-known cytotoxicity/skin contact methods, combined with specialized in-house testing and, where applicable, testing protocols defined by our customers to meet any unique aspects of the specification. The end-use performance is then confirmed by the manufacturer of the complete article.”

Specifically for the algae-based colorants, Avgol is evaluating the application where aesthetic enhancements are desired, including when there is a desire for uniform coloration as well as a rather unique heathering effect that they can produce. For now, the face mask facing layers, semi-durable bags/packaging and various components of absorbent hygiene products are some of the most immediate applications.

The most significant consumer benefit is the wellness-factor for the user when utilizing bio-based solutions. “When we consider that the algae-based colorants also exhibit skin wellness characteristics, anytime a fabric may be in prolonged contact with the user is also a potential value for aspects of the market,” emphasizes Carter.

Plant-Based Solutions Must Start Somewhere

“The value of multiple plant-based product lines extends from the resins we begin with to the performance and aesthetic modifiers we use in producing the final component materials. This is an important aspect of not only Avgol’s positioning, but truly is an aspect that should extend through the filtration industry. We are committed to enhancing the sustainability factor in our offerings” says Carter.

Bringing a fully bio-degradable solution may not be achievable at this time, it all starts somewhere, even with sustainable coloration that won’t hurt the environ- ment in degradation. “We have various ways and means to achieve enhanced sustainability; it is not a ‘silver bullet’ solution or a magical-cure-all that I doubt any one company will bring forth,” says Carter. “Rather, the ‘best solution’ will most likely come through the collaboration of every link in the supply chain. I would not be at all surprised that the end-of-life situation of what to do with used filters will ultimately result in a ripple all the way back through the chain where input from resin producer to convertor to manufacturer to recycler will contribute insight and overall advancement in the future that we can only guess at today.”

“I see many parallels between the hygiene and filtration markets, as grander trends will be seen in both industries. For example, products that have more reusable content and less disposable content, such as HVAC filter designs that have increased proportion of reusable filter frames and supports, with a corresponding lower use of the filtration media itself, wherein that filtration media is bought off bulk rolls at home improvement stores. We can see the same in the form of reusable diaper chassis that have just the pad area replaced instead of the entire diaper. Migration away from fossil fuel derived components in the nonwoven media is a given, whether it be the resin itself or the modifiers used, and I only included it here for the sake of completeness,” Carter speculates.

Sustainability, regardless of how it is defined, is becoming more of a qualifier and less of a winner when it comes to being selected by the end consumer. If one does not actively participate now and work across the industry, it will be left to only react in the future.