Can nonwovens be reused? Why? We take these two questions together to understand whether nonwovens can be used again after use.
Aseptic packaging is the process of establishing aseptic barrier, and packaging material is the basis of aseptic barrier! The use of non-woven fabrics has become a trend in the use of aseptic packaging materials.
Non-woven fabric has its own advantages.
Good microbial barrier function.
Effective penetration of sterilization factor.
Suitable for a variety of sterilization methods.
Good flexibility.
Good mechanical properties.
Reasons why nonwovens cannot be reused:
1. Loss of aseptic barrier performance after use
According to the research, the shelf life of aseptic articles is closely related to the thickness of the cloth and the number of layers of the cloth. After a series of high-temperature steam sterilization and chemical washing, the fiber structure of disposable non-woven packaging materials is deformed, the holes are sparse, the thickness decreases, and even there are small holes that are imperceptible to the naked eye. The antibacterial rate will suddenly decrease or lose the antibacterial performance. Requirements for packaging materials: in the process of sterilization, sterilization factors should penetrate effectively; in the process of storage, provide bacterial barrier to maintain aseptic state. If the disposable packaging materials are used repeatedly, the storage after sterilization can not reach a safe period of validity.
2. The internal microscopic properties of non-woven fabrics change after sterilization
Non-woven packaging materials are generally SMS composite non-woven. The main material of this kind of non-woven fabric is polypropylene, which is processed through many processes through melt blowing and spunbonding process, and its microstructure is fine plastic fiber. Shrinkage after high temperature is the characteristic of plastic articles, there is no real high-temperature-resistant plastic, high-temperature resistance is also a relative concept, so non-woven fabrics will also have a corresponding shrinkage reaction at the micro level. After high temperature sterilization, the fine plastic fiber of non-woven fabric will shrink to a certain extent, which shows that the non-woven fabric after sterilization is more brittle and less flexible than that before sterilization. The change of the performance of non-woven packaging materials before and after is one of the reasons why non-woven fabrics can only be used once.
The above is the introduction of whether nonwovens can be reused. If you want to know more about nonwovens, please feel free to contact us.
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Post time: Mar-18-2022