Sellars Absorbent Materials, Inc.

David C Drapela

William R Sellars

John C Sellars

Thomas C Shutt

A product including a web and a method of manufacturing such a product. The product may be for use as an industrial absorbent or a thermal or acoustic insulator and includes a web including scrap and/or recycled cellulose, the cellulose being selected from a source of post-industrial cellulose and/or a source of post-consumer cellulose, the cellulose being treated with a fire-retardant, the cellulose being dry before web formation, and opened, individuated bicomponent fibers mixed with the cellulose, at least some of the bicomponent fibers being thermally bonded to at least some of the cellulose. The method may include shredding the cellulose, declumping and sizing the cellulose, metering the cellulose into a spray booth, applying a fire retardant to the cellulose in the spray booth, if the fire retardant is a liquid, drying the cellulose, adding bicomponent fibers to the cellulose, forming a web, and heating the web in an oven.

Non-woven webs and methods of manufacturing the same

A method and device for depositing fibers on a forming wire. In one embodiment, a device includes a fiber reservoir having an inlet, a first outlet configured to pass air or gas, and a second outlet configured to pass fiber. The device also includes a fiber meter configured to move fiber out of the reservoir to a forming head via mechanical action and along substantially the entire width of the forming head. The forming head includes one or more air inlets and one or more agitators to blend and open the fiber received from the fiber meter. The forming head interfaces with a vacuum source that draws air into the forming head through the air inlets, which can be adjusted to affect volume and velocity of air drawn into the forming head.

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Brown Deer, WI, United States of America

David C Drapela